Resources for Perinatal Mental Health

One in five pregnant or postpartum people has a diagnosed mood or anxiety disorder. Depression is the most common complication related to childbearing. We know that depression and other perinatal mental health conditions can negatively affect health outcomes for all family members.

Montana sees 12,500 births per year, with 3,500 families impacted by maternal mental health conditions. This report from Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance estimates a cost of $60 million due to lost wages and poor health outcomes for mothers and babies. Efforts to improve the maternal mental health landscape include the PRISM for Moms psychiatry access program, treatment programs through the Meadowlark Initiative, and community resources like Postpartum Resource Group in Flathead County and Roots Family Collaborative in Bozeman.

Screening Protocol

Increased screening can help providers and patients identify mental health concerns and connect families to prevention and treatment. In collaboration with perinatal care providers across Montana, HMHB facilitated the creation of  a screening protocol, which helps providers:

• Choose validated screening tools
• Establish a screening workflow
• Discuss mental health with patients
• Make appropriate referrals to local services
• Develop a screening schedule

As screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders becomes more common, the need to know where to go for treatment, support, and healing grows as well.

Vetted Resource Guide

We greatly value our current network of support. We are also active in growing a workforce that is equipped with the specific training, skills, and experience required to effectively serve those who need support during this special time in life—becoming parents.

This toolkit (linked here) aims to assist those groups who are wanting to build a list of their community’s perinatal mental health and support specialists. We hope you can learn from the experiences of others who have successfully created a list for the families and providers in their area. This toolkit offers:

• Points of consideration
• An example of criteria that could be adopted to create a “vetted” guide
• Content to populate an online form for outreach and recruitment efforts
• Resources and other referral lists for inspiration
• Designed template for your use

Download our templates and fill them in with your own local resources. We have also created an infographic about PMADs that can help you build awareness in your community before you start collecting resources.

Maternal Mental Health Trainings

Below are links to the 3  maternal mental health-related training sessions that Melissa Bangs led in partnership with HMHB, ECHO (online hub and spoke model), and Billings Clinic in 2018.

The presentations range from an into to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and an overview of a psychiatrist’s approach; to screening for PMADs and many layers related to screening; and a panel discussion with a family practice physician and PMAD mental health clinician/therapist and two naturopathic physicians.

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Presented by Karen Horst MD

Perinatal Depression and Anxiety: Why Universal Screening is Critical. Presented by Gabrielle Kaufman, MA, LPCC, BC-DMT, NCC

Psycho-Neuro-Endo-Immuno Connection: It is all inter-related! A panel including Dr. Dave Lechner MD, Dr. Christine White ND, Dr. Holcomb Johnston, ND and Kate Robinett, LCPC

More Information on Mental Health

Attend the annual conference dedicated to the topic of perinatal mental health.

See our guidance to parents about mental health.