The Perinatal Foundation is pleased to provide resources about perinatal depression for women experiencing depression and for providers who work with women in the childbearing period.
Perinatal Depression Treatment References Antidepressant medications in the prenatal and postpartum periods: One Treatment Modality – A bibliography of current research on medications and considerations for providers to remember in discussing options with patients. (click here to view the pdf)
The Talk Therapies: Talking, Sharing and Breaking the Isolation: Describes types of "talk therapy" recommended for treating perinatal depression.(click here to view the pdf)
Additional References and Resources: Lists additional references and resources for both providers and consumers, including journal articles, booklets and Web sites.(click here to view the pdf)
Position Statement on Screening for Prenatal and Postpartum Depression This WAPC position statement includes the rationale and plan for routine depression screening and treatment of pregnant and postpartum women by health care clinicians. View Statement.
Perinatal Depression Screening Tools A successful screening program requires a responsive system of care. Please refer to “Pathways For Accessing Treatment & Support Services For Women Experiencing Prenatal and Postpartum Depression” in the WAPC position statement, Screening for Prenatal and Postpartum Depression, above. The pathway provides a model for screening and subsequent assessment, diagnosis, treatment, referral and follow up. It also presents a concise overview of the necessary communication links between and among clinicians. The following screening tools can be used for pregnant women and new mothers:
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (English version) Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (Spanish version) Depression Scale in Hmong Courtesty of Gunderson Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse, WI To download free screening tools, click here
“Simple Things You Can Do” Poster (English and Spanish)
An 11 x 17-inch color poster with a list of ideas to help women experiencing depression feel better and relate more positively to their baby and family; available in English or Spanish
A great resource for clinics, offices, child care or community centers, schools, public libraries and churches – all the places that new moms visit
Cost: $1 each, plus $3 shipping and handling, for up to 10 posters. To order, contact the Perinatal Foundation at (608) 267-6200, or click here to order online.
An 8 ½ x 11-inch color version can be downloaded and printed free of charge. (Click here to view and print the PDF) This file will take longer to download to allow for a high-resolution image.
“Simple Things You Can Do” Tear-off Sheets (English and Spanish)
A convenient patient education resource in 8 ½ x 11-inch tablet with 25 pages printed front and back
Provides suggestions about “simple things” women can do to improve their mental and physical health in the areas of sleep, nutrition, exercise, emotional and physical support, and referral resources
Includes “helpful hints” for dads and other supporters
To view a PDF of the tear-off sheet in English and Spanish, click here. The PDF file cannot be printed.
Cost: $3/pad of 25, plus $4 shipping and handling for up to 3 pads. To order, contact the Perinatal Foundation at (608) 267-6200 or click here to order online.
Voices of Experience: A collection of culturally-specific first-person narratives on perinatal depression This booklet provides six first-person narratives about perinatal depression. Five of the six narratives are written from the perspectives of women from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including African American, American Indian, Amish, Hmong and Latino. In addition, the last narrative is about a woman whose cultural or ethnic background is unknown. It is designed to bring out issues that may be universal to the experience of perinatal depression. The narratives presented are most effective when read aloud. After reading the narratives, it may be beneficial to review the list of discussion questions provided below. These questions may help you think about some of the important issues that surface in the narratives as well as issues that may surface in your daily practice. Below are the introduction, narratives and discussion questions from the booklet in PDF format.
