Women & Infants' Practitioners Publish Article in American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology

To help educate obstetric providers about the prevalence, signs and symptoms of PPD, as well as treatment options, the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology recently published an article written by Teri Pearlstein, MD, Margaret Howard, PhD, Amy Salisbury, PhD, and Caron Zlotnick, PhD, of the Center for Women’s Behavioral Health at Women & Infants Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

Providence, RI, May 08, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Postpartum depression (PPD) affects up to 15% of mothers, with known negative consequences for the mother and her developing child. It is important to identify women who may be at risk for PPD, and the best time to identify them is while they are still pregnant or very soon after delivery, when they have frequent contact with their obstetric and pediatric providers.

To help educate obstetric providers about the prevalence, signs and symptoms of PPD, as well as treatment options, the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology recently published an article written by Teri Pearlstein, MD, Margaret Howard, PhD, Amy Salisbury, PhD, and Caron Zlotnick, PhD, of the Center for Women's Behavioral Health at Women & Infants Hospital and the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Women & Infants operates the Day Hospital, the first program in the nation that provides clinical and therapeutic services specifically for pregnant and postpartum women with mood and anxiety disorders, with the inclusion of the babies of postpartum women who attend the program.

“Postpartum depression is under-recognized and under-treated,” said Teri Pearlstein, MD, director of the Center for Women’s Behavioral Health. “The obstetrician and pediatrician can serve important roles in screening for and treating postpartum depression. In some cases, the provider may want to refer a patient to a therapist or psychiatrist who specializes in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period.”

“Despite the devastating effects of postpartum depression, little is known about which treatments are most effective,” said Caron Zlotnick, PhD, principal investigator of a study on the treatment of postpartum depression and a psychologist at Women & Infants Hospital and associate professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. “Our study will help guide clinicians and their patients in their choice of treatment to alleviate the suffering associated with postpartum depression.”

Women with mood and anxiety disorders who are pregnant, postpartum or planning to conceive may contact Women & Infants’ Center for Women’s Behavioral Health at (401) 453-7955 for an outpatient evaluation, or they may call the Day Hospital at (401) 274-1122, extension 2870. For further information, visit womenandinfants.org/womensmedicine.

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. The primary teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, Women & Infants is the seventh largest obstetrical service in the country with more than 9,000 deliveries per year. Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Center of Excellence from the American College of Radiography; a Center for In Vitro Maturation Excellence by SAGE In Vitro Fertilization; and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence. It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group. The hospital was named Rhode Island’s Best Place to Work by Providence Business News and a National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health by the federal government. For information about Women & Infants, log on to womenandinfants.org, and for the name of a physician on the Women & Infants’ staff, call the Health Line at 1-800-921-9299.

###
Contact
Women & Infants Hospital
Amy Blustein
401-453-7926
www.womenandinfants.org
ContactContact
Categories