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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Vamsi Vasireddy, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Public Health, 1603 W Taylor Street, M/C 922, Chicago, IL 60612, 773-578-7833, Vvasir2@uic.edu

Perinatal depression is widely under-diagnosed, under-treated, and affects both mothers and babies adversely. Two major barriers include societal stigma associated with diagnosis, and insufficient training of healthcare providers in the assessment and treatment of perinatal depression. Research shows that 9.4 – 12.7% of women giving birth in the U.S. develop major depressive disorder (Gaynes et al. 2005). The UIC Perinatal Depression Project (UIC-PDP) was formed in 2004 to train healthcare providers, assist in the establishment of screening programs, and provide expert assistance in managing women experiencing peripartum depression. The campaign will accomplish these goals by: training healthcare providers through lectures and workshops, offering technical assistance to clinics and providers, offering clinical consultation to primary care providers, and initiating a public awareness campaign. The consultation service offered by PDP is unique in the country in the fact that it offers free advice to healthcare providers in matters related to perinatal depression. UIC-PDP is a successful collaboration between the state government, researchers, community agencies, and healthcare providers which will serve as a model to other states. The program also developed a disease management model that is being pilot tested to compare its efficiency against a traditional “screen and refer” model. This presentation demonstrates statistics on perinatal depression in general and the state of Illinois, barriers to healthcare providers in assessing and treating perinatal depression, UIC-PDP's goals, strategic planning through developing a disease management model, interventions, and outcomes evaluation.

Learning Objectives:

• Raise awareness about the incidence and prevalence of perinatal depression in the general population and state of Illinois.
• Apply critical evaluation and research methodology to identify barriers to healthcare providers in implementing screening tools validated during pregnancy.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the disease management model and the UIC perinatal depression project.
• Apply clinical research and public health evaluation to strategically devise a plan and raise awareness of perinatal depression among healthcare providers and general public.
• Dispel traditional myths and fallacies among healthcare providers with regards to treating depression during pregnancy.

Keywords: Maternal and Child Health, Mental Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered