Minding Mental Health

The Presidential Initiative of Iffath Abbasi Hoskins, MD, FACOG

Minding Mental Health is an education and awareness campaign aimed at improving the mental health of patients in the peripartum period and in later life.

Programs and Resources

• Perinatal Mental Health Conditions Bundle

  Access the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health patient safety bundle on perinatal mental health conditions.

• Behavioral Health Integration Collaborative

  ACOG is a member of the AMA's Behavioral Health Integration (BHI) Collaborative, a group dedicated to catalyzing effective and sustainable integration of behavioral and mental health care into physician practices. Our participation in the program is intended to help create solutions for obstetrician–gynecologists to have the resources they need to connect patients with mental health support.

  In July, Dr. Hoskins joined the presidents of the fellow BHI Collaborative member organizations to publish a column in Health Affairs about why providing treatment of mental health conditions in the primary care setting is critical, how the BHI Collaborative can support physician practices in doing so, and the role of payers and federal and state policy makers in advancing progress on that front.

  The authors wrote: “A holistic, evidence-based integrated approach within primary care settings that focuses on the well-being of the whole person through all developmental stages, including the implementation of behavioral health screening and service intensity placement tools (such as the Child and Adolescent Service Intensity Instrument) that are standardized and normalized, can help individuals receive treatment earlier and at the right level of care.”

• Perinatal Mental Health Tool Kit

  Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are among the most common complications that occur in pregnancy or in the first 12 months after delivery. In order to help obstetrician–gynecologists and other health care professionals address perinatal mental health conditions, ACOG is sharing the Lifeline for Moms Perinatal Mental Health Tool Kit, developed by the UMass Chan Medical School and reviewed by members of ACOG’s Maternal Mental Health Expert Work Group.

  This tool kit provides actionable information, algorithms, and clinical pearls to support detection, assessment, and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Access the tool kit, which includes a summary of perinatal health conditions; information about screening tools; algorithms for assessment and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions; and additional resources for health care professionals, patients, and families.

  The tool kit also features the Lifeline for Moms Guide for Integrating Mental Health Care into Obstetric Practice. This guide provides strategies for operationalizing mental health screening, assessment, referral, monitoring, and follow-up through a step-by-step process that follows three phrases: plan, implement, sustain. With a focus on communication throughout, this guide’s common core elements can be tailored for each unique practice setting, allowing clinicians to address perinatal mental health in their patients in the way that best suits their practice.

• Maternal Health Awareness Day

  Each year, ACOG invites partners to join us in observing Maternal Health Awareness Day on January 23. As part of this year’s theme of Know Why, ACOG will raise awareness of perinatal mental health as the leading cause of maternal deaths identified by maternal mortality review committees and the CDC.

  In recently released data from the CDC, mental health conditions were reported as the leading underlying cause of pregnancy-related deaths among white, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native populations. ACOG will raise awareness about perinatal mental health; share resources for patients; and highlight clinician resources aimed at improving patient screening, diagnosis, and referral.

• Patient Education Materials

  ACOG is a trusted source for people seeking information about their own health care, including their mental health, and for clinicians who want to refer their patients to reputable, evidence-based materials. Our patient education website has a variety of resources developed by our clinical experts and covering mental health topics that matter most to patients during pregnancy, while postpartum, and throughout their lives:

  • What I Tell My Pregnant and Postpartum Patients about Depression and Anxiety (Expert View)
  • Anxiety and Pregnancy: Learning the Symptoms and Finding Help (Infographic)
  • Anxiety and Pregnancy (FAQ)
  • Depression during Pregnancy (FAQ)
  • Postpartum Depression (FAQ)
  • Mental Health Disorders (FAQ)

  Explore all the mental health resources for patients to find answers to questions about a range of topics related to mental health and to hear from ACOG’s experts.