Providers & Clinicians

At the Florida Maternal Mental Health Collaborative, we endeavor to address the significant maternal mental health needs in our community. We work hard to ensure that clinicians and providers have the resources and support they need to tackle perinatal mental health effectively. We believe that accessing mental health care should be easy, and we’re here to make that happen.

Screenings

Screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders

Recommendations from the AAP , the ACOG and the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force have all been noted to recommend screening EVERY woman for perinatal mood disorders. It is important to note that screening alone has not shown to change outcomes. We encourage Florida providers to screen each woman AND provide the opportunity for follow-up discussion as well as connecting her with local resources. Please find validated screening

EDINBURGH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION SCALE (EPDS)

This 10 item self-report questionnaire can be readily found online for free with scoring instructions. It is easy to score, designed specifically for use in peripartum populations, is well validated during pregnancy and postpartum, available in over 20 languages, and is cross-culturally validated. The disadvantages of this screening tool are that it is not linked with DSM diagnostic criteria and that is cannot be used for assessment or treatment tracking. (Cox & Holden, 2003) This online version is used in the Pediatric Residency Program at UCSF, Fresno and is used with permission. EPDS English | EPDS Spanish | EPDS Spanish

MDQ

Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7)

PHQ-9

CENTER FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES—DEPRESSION SCALE (CES-D)

This 20 item self-report tool is designed for community use. One study showed that it is better than the EPDS at identifying psychomotor retardation. However, there are potential somatic confounds and there are very few validation data for use on postpartum populations and none on antepartum. (Radloff, 1977)

The CES-D is in the public domain and is free to use.
CESD-R

BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY II (BDI)

This 21 item self-report questionnaire is designed for use in clinic populations. It is not available for free online and must be purchased. It is linked to the DSM and tracks response to treatment. However, there are very few validation data for use on postpartum populations and none on antepartum. There are also potential somatic confounds. (Beck, 1988) More information on purchasing the rights to this screen can be found in the following link. BDI Purchasing Link

Treatment recommendations

MCPAP for Moms toolkit includes screening and treatment algorithms. Find it HERE.

ACOG of New York depression screening toolkit. Find it HERE.

The U.S. Dept. of HHS, Office on Women’s Health has information and fact sheets. Find it HERE.

World Health Organization provides a literature review on risk factors and interventions. Find it HERE.