The Family Mental Health Foundation is
a subsidiary of the Washington Psychiatric Foundation, a non-profit,
tax-exempt organization incorporated in the District of Columbia. Its
aim is to improve the mental health of families through the earliest
possible interventions.
A
key element of its work is in the area of perinatal mood disorders. Ten
to 15 percent of women have severe depression after the birth of a
child. This illness not only affects the mother, it disrupts the
relationship with the father and children and has been shown to have a
profound effect of the development of the newborn. Few of these women
are diagnosed or adequately treated. Many suffer for a year of more and
some have lifelong disability.
The tragedy? This
is a very treatable condition that responds to psychotherapy,
medication, or a combination of both. Women who have higher degrees of
social stress are more vulnerable. There are powerful factors that
prevent doctors and patients from dealing with the condition
effectively.
The Foundation has developed a model of healthcare to combat this
scourge. It is based on the premise that a universal screening program
being instituted in primary care settings, i.e. obstetrical or
pediatric, makes sure that no women are missed. However, this is not
enough, as many of the women with postpartum mood disorders feel
extremely ashamed, inadequate and very fearful that anyone thinks there
is something wrong with them. The symptoms of the illness make them
feel like they’re bad mothers and that someone will take their baby
away. Most of these women are unaware that this condition is the most
frequent serious complication of pregnancy.
The World Health Organization commissioned a study to determine which
illnesses cause the greatest disability as well as loss of life. Five
of the 10 most frequent illnesses are psychiatric and depression in
women leads the way.
It is estimated that by the year 2020 depression will be the single
most disabling condition worldwide. The rate of depression in women is
twice that of men. The age of onset of depression is greatest during
the childbearing years. The Foundation believes that the early
identification and treatment of women with perinatal mood disorders is
the way to make major inroads on the problem.
The Foundation was awarded a four-year grant by the Healthy Start
program of the Federal Bureau of Maternal and Child Health to
demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of such a plan. It will
take place and Georgetown University and George Washington University,
including the School of Public Health.
Prior to obtaining this grant, the Foundation was subsisting
financially from year to year as its original base of support; the
Washington Psychiatric Society fell on hard times. Despite the lack of
funds, the Foundation carried out innovative and unique programs of
early metal health intervention, professional and public education, and
a free information and referral service staffed by volunteer
psychiatrists. A program to identify kindergarten students who were at
risk and then evaluate and treat them in the school itself was
implemented.
We now have a professional staff, an office and a consortium of health
organizations which includes the D.C. Bureau of Maternal and Family
Care, the March of Dimes, the Washington School of Psychiatry, the
departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry at Georgetown
University and the Departments of Pediatrics, and Psychiatry, as well
as the Office of Prevention at the School of Public Health.
