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Pregnant Pause                        


June 5, 2013                                                                                                     
Issue #26
Because there is no health without Mental Health!

Mental Health Month Mother's Day Rally:

 

In honor of Mother's Day and Mental Health Awareness Month, the Mother's Day Rally is an online event hosted annually by Postpartum Progress. During this event, a letter is posted by award-winning bloggers, survivors, and experts on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders every hour for 24 hours. This event is an effort to inspire and advise new mothers that might be struggling with antepartum or postpartum mental illnesses.

 

There are many wonderful letters posted on the Postpartum Progress website. One of these  came from blogger and postpartum depression survivor Miranda Wicker:

 

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. Begin it well, and serenely, and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense."-Ralph Waldo Emerson 

 

Katie L. wrote about the difficulties in diagnosing and getting help for her postpartum anxiety.  She explains that:

  
"I had always been told that postpartum depression (PPD) was easy to identify because mothers with PPD had a hard time bonding with their babies. I had the exact opposite problem- I love(d) my son more than I can even begin to explain... I became paralyzed by the fear that something would happen to him...I just kept assuming that if there was something wrong with me, someone would notice."

 

She goes on to advise:

 

"Even if you pass the questionnaire.  Even if you look fine from the outside. Never be afraid to seek help and keep pushing if you're not getting what you need." 

 

To read more, follow this link.  


Provider Spotlight: Dr. Sherri Simpson 

 

I am a native Atlantan, raised primarily in East Point.  I graduated from Howard University, and completed a year of a public health program at Morehouse School of Medicine before completing medical school at Meharry. I completed my adult, child and adolescent psychiatry training at the Menninger Dept of Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine in 2007. I am Board certified in Adult and Child Psychiatry. 

 

My recent pursuits have been volunteering with Sparkles of Life, a non-profit group supporting women who have experienced infertility and delayed parenting. I also served for three years on the Yates Children Memorial Fund/Mental Health America of Houston as a presenter/trainer on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. I have also served as President of the Mary Susan Moore Medical Society, Houston's Black Women Physician Group, and was a co-founder of the Houston Association of Women Psychiatrists.

 

A long and earnest personal journey led me back to GA after being away for 17 years. I'm now working at a community setting in Clayton County where I primarily serve young families, many of whom are financially impoverished. Though I work as a child psychiatrist, my clinical approach is contextual so that I am treating the entire family, including mothers. I am sometimes radical in

my approach ,which keeps things fun, including utilizing art, spelling words
and definitions, US history quizzes, and even playing on the playground.
My clinical approach also includes extensive psychoeducation. I have a large reference collection of books and handouts and have created a library check out
system for patients.

 

I love my relationships with the women in my life. There is such healing in these relationships, so I seek to create that in relationships with my patients. Particularly with pregnant and postpartum women, there is often a variety of emotions and thoughts that must be dealt with. I love supporting my mothers every step of the way.

Looking for ways to get involved? 

 

Postpartum Progress is hosting an event called Climb out of the Darkness on Friday June 21st. It's a multi-site event designed to bring together individuals who are passionately dedicated to raising awareness about postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety/OCD, postpartum psychosis, antenatal depression and more.

To read more, follow this link

 

Did you know?
 

Postpartum Depression and Unintended Pregnancy:

Women with unintended pregnancy might be at greater risk for postpartum depression and consequently be an important group to target for screening and provision of knowledge about postpartum depression. A recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina indicates that women who have unintended pregnancies may be up to four times more likely to suffer postpartum depression.Therefore, researchers believe that screening and targeted interventions for this group could reduce the risk of mental health complications from future unintended pregnancies.

To read more, click here.

 

Genetics and Postpartum Depression:

A small study conducted by Johns Hopkins  School of Medicine found that women with variations in the structure of two specific genes could be at increased risk for postpartum depression.

Access the article here. 

  

 

 

MHA of GA's 22nd Annual Tee Off for Mental Health Golf Tournament A Success! 

    

 

We are delighted with the success of our 22nd annual golf tournament. The event helped raise unrestricted organizational funds, and we had fabulous weather, great food, and an all around terrific time! We hope to see you next year!

 

SCREENING & IDENTIFICATION TRAINING FOR PERINATAL MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS

 

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are the #1 complication of childbirth in the US, affecting approximately 10-15% of childbearing women. Project Healthy Moms' PMAD Screening and Identification Trainings are aimed at healthcare providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, social workers) who come in contact with childbearing women. Through this program, healthcare providers who are involved in maternal and child health are trained to recognize symptoms of the various PMADs and consequences of untreated PMADs. During the training, providers learn how to screen mothers for PMADs and are also educated about treatment options and referral methods. The goal of the training is to ensure that healthcare providers are able to correctly and routinely identify and refer women who may be suffering from PMADs in their practices.

 

To learn more and schedule a training, please contact Liz Smulian at [email protected] or at 678-904-1968.

RESOURCE LIST

 

Did you know that Mental Health America of Georgia has a resource list for pregnant and postpartum women? It is updated regularly and provides contact information for healthcare providers and outlets for self-care for pregnant or postpartum women.

 

To access the list, visit www.mhageorgia.org, then go to 

Our Programs > Project Healthy Moms > Resource List.

PROJECT HEALTHY MOMS WARMLINE AVAILABLE TO ALL GEORGIA WOMEN

 

The Project Healthy Moms Warmline is available in English and Spanish for ALL Georgia women seeking peer support and resource linkage for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders! Georgia women can phone in to the toll-free Project Healthy Moms Warmline, call the local Georgia number or email to contact a mother who has experienced and overcome perinatal depression/anxiety and who can provide emotional support and suggest appropriate resources. Please leave a message when you call the Warmline, and a support person will respond as soon as possible. It does get better!

 

Toll Free: 1-800-933-9896, ext. 234 (#1 for Spanish) 

Local: 678-904-1966 (#1 for Spanish) 

Email: [email protected] (English)  

[email protected] (Spanish)

 

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!

 

Project Healthy Moms is an important initiative of MHA of Georgia.  Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication of childbirth.  In the United States, between 10% and 15% of new mothers suffer from these devastating illnesses which, if not properly treated, can have a long-term negative impact on the health of not only the mothers, but their children and families as well.  Our goal is to increase awareness, identification, treatment, and support of perinatal mood disorders in Georgia, while also reducing the stigma associated with them.  To learn more about Project Healthy Moms, click here.

Project Healthy Moms is only one of many programs developed by MHA of Georgia to further our mission of enhancing the mental health of all Georgians through education, outreach, and advocacy. Click here to learn more about MHA of Georgia's other programs.  Your support will help us continue our work educating Georgians about mental illness, striving to eliminate stigma, and advocating on behalf of people with  mental illness in our state.  Click here to support MHA of Georgia.

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