Community-based Perinatal Support Model: Addressing postpartum depression through a multi-disciplinary approach in diverse communities

Untreated postpartum depression (PPD), is common and has deleterious effects on mother, fetus/child and family. These include maternal engagement in poor health behaviors and substance abuse, delayed cognitive, behavioral and psychological development in children and in extreme cases, maternal suicide and infanticide. Comorbidity occurs with preeclampsia, pre-term delivery and low-birth weight. Despite evidence-based treatments for PPD, most women do not receive treatment. Barriers to care include inadequate medical provider training, limited provider knowledge of referral options, stigma, and fragmented or limited community resources. Because maternal mental health has a direct impact on child development and mental health, it is paramount to screen, detect and treat PPD. Research shows that PPD screening is effective and provides reliable results, yet does not ensure treatment. This is further exacerbated in economically depressed, resource-poor communities where approaches to treatment may be disparate and largely relegated to mental health professionals. The Community-based Perinatal Support Model (CPSM) systematically addresses gaps between screening and services. CPSM facilitates treatment of PPD through the development of comprehensive, multi-disciplinary safety net services, capitalizing on area resources and strengths. CPSM includes seven interconnected, guiding elements: development of regional leadership teams; community networks of agencies; public awareness, professional training; community-readiness assessments; resource identification and development, and coordinated universal screening and referral protocols.  The model is adaptable to a wide variety of political, economic, social, cultural and geographic environments. This workshop will describe these components and discuss the step-wise progression for implementation using local experiences.