Integrating perinatal and infant mental health services in resource-constrained settings
Free Members' Webinar/Dean's Grand Round
Thursday 22 August 2024
Overview
In South Africa, the prevalence of perinatal depression is as high as 32%, meaning that almost 1 in 3 pregnant women have some form of perinatal mental illness. Despite this alarming statistic, there are still limited perinatal mental health services available and there is poor screening during the antenatal period for common perinatal mental health problems.
Pregnant women with mental illness go on to have poor maternal, obstetric, and neonatal outcomes; however, this experience is not unique to South Africa. Globally, racially and ethnically minoritised women disproportionately experience poor perinatal mental health care as a result of various factors, including stigma and psychosocial determinants of mental illness. Overall, this results in increased morbidity and mortality for the mother and baby, which is poorly documented and researched.
Public health awareness, education, and screening is often skewed towards ensuring physical safety outcomes, without consideration of integrating mental health supports in perinatal services and well-baby spaces. This webinar focuses on how to address the challenges of providing integrated perinatal and infant mental health services in resource-constrained settings by highlighting clinical, educational, and research opportunities in South Africa.
Slides
- Reflections on patient-centred perinatal mental health care – Dr Lavinia Lumu
- Implementing models for perinatal and infant mental health services – Dr Bavi Vythilingum
- Infant mental health: opportunities for training, education and research – Anusha Lachman