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| Pregnant Pause
July 29, 2016
I
ssue #61
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Because there is no health without mental health!
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SAGE THERAPEUTICS HAS PROMISING EARLY FINDINGS FROM POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION CLINICAL TRIAL
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Sage Therapeutics, a bio-pharmaceutical company, has announced promising new findings from a Phase II clinical trial on an intravenous drug SAGE-547 for use in the treatment of postpartum depression.
21 participants were randomized into two trial groups: the treatment arm,
 which received SAGE-547 intravenous infusions for 60 hours, and the control arm, which received a placebo. Patients were then assessed on the severity of their postpartum depression symptoms using a well-validated scale to measure response to treatment.
After 24 hours of SAGE-547 treatment, patients demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in depression symptoms when compared to the control group. Overall, the treatment arm demonstrated 70% remission from postpartum depression symptoms following 60 hours of treatment. This reduction in depression symptoms was maintained throughout a 30 day follow up period. Patients also did not appear to experience any major adverse effects from treatment.
In the future, Sage would like to expand the trial to measure dosage as well as generate an oral treatment option.
To read more, click
here.
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PROJECT HEALTHY MOMS TELEPHONE-BASED PEER SUPPORT PROGRAM CONCLUDES INITIAL PILOT
In June 2016, Project Healthy Moms completed a pilot of a telephone-based peer support program for low resource moms in metropolitan Atlanta, supported by funding from the Atlanta Women's Foundation.
Six trained support providers, who are also survivors of maternal mental illness, administered support and provided resource referrals to enrolled participants over the
span of nine months. Forty women were screened for enrollment, with 27 women receiving at least one phone call from a peer support provider. Overall, 157 behavioral health consultations were made via phone calls. Additionally, 13 participants received referrals for mental and behavioral health services.
In the end, 10 women completed the entire program. These participants demonstrated a 60% decrease in
scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Further, these participants reported a
40% increase in perceived social support.
Mental Health America of Georgia is pleased with these initial results. Future work is needed to determine how best to reach low resourc
e women who are at higher risk of experiencing maternal mental health complications.
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JOIN US AT OUR NEXT MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF GEORGIA FUNDRAISER
Take a Bite out of Stigma!
Please join Project Healthy Moms for an MHA of GA fundraiser at World of Beer on August 7th from 4-9 PM.
To Commit to Eat, follow this
link.
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NIH LAUNCHES MOMS' MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched Moms' Mental Health Matters, a new initiative to raise awareness among pregnant and postpartum mothers, their families, and health care providers about depression and anxiety during pregnancy and after the baby is born. The NIH has developed free materials in English and Spanish, including an action plan, posters and a conversation starter postcard. Learn more and order free materials at: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/MaternalMentalHealth.
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DID YOU KNOW?
Parents of premature infants are at higher risk of experiencing depression after birth: A study conducted by the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia found that mothers of extremely premature infants had a 10 times greater risk of depression following delivery and fathers had an 11 times greater risk of depression. Depression among parents of premature infants was compared to depression among parents of full-term babies.
To read more, click here.
The incidence of postpartum depression in NICU moms is likely double that of other moms: A screening program of NICU moms at Nebraska Medicine has found that the number of NICU moms experiencing postpartum depression is approximately double that of other moms, with 28% of NICU moms screening positive. Researchers encouraged the creation of other programs that address the stress and trauma associated with having an infant in the NICU. To learn more, follow this link.
More mothers are needed for a technology-based study on postpartum depression : A study on postpartum depression that uses an iPhone application called PPD ACT is encouraging more women to enroll using their smartphone technology. The application is using genomic information from mothers that experience postpartum depression to elucidate better treatment strategies and screening measures. To
learn more, click here.
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 LOOKING FOR WAYS TO GET INVOLVED?
2) Check out our Facebook page 3) Sign up for our newsletters |
SCREENING & IDENTIFICATION TRAINING FOR PERINATAL MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS  Project Healthy Moms' PMAD Screening and Identification Trainings are aimed at healthcare providers (e.g. physicians, nurses, social workers) who come in contact with childbearing women. Through this program, healthcare providers who are involved in maternal and child health are trained to recognize symptoms of the various PMADs and consequences of untreated PMADs. During the training, providers learn how to screen mothers for PMADs and are also educated about treatment options and referral methods. The goal of the training is to ensure that healthcare providers are able to correctly and routinely identify and refer women who may be suffering from PMADs in their practices. To learn more and schedule a training, please contact Sarah Schwartz at [email protected] or (678) 904-1970.
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RESOURCE LIST
Did you know that Mental Health America of Georgia has a resource list for pregnant and postpartum women? It is updated regularly and provides contact information for healthcare providers and outlets for self-care for pregnant and postpartum women.
To access the list, visit www.mhageorgia.org/project-healthy-moms/resource-list/
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| WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
Project Healthy Moms is an important initiative of MHA of Georgia. Perinatal mood disorders are the most common complication of childbirth. In the United States, approximately 20% of new mothers suffer from these devastating illnesses which, if not properly treated, can have a long-term negative impact on the health of not only the mothers, but their children and families as well. Our goal is to increase awareness, identification, treatment, and support of perinatal mood disorders in Georgia, while also reducing the stigma associated with them.
To learn more about Project Healthy Moms, click here.
Project Healthy Moms is only one of many programs developed by MHA of Georgia to further our mission of enhancing the mental health of all Georgians through education, outreach, and advocacy.
Click here to learn more about MHA of Georgia's other programs. Your support will help us continue our work educating Georgians about mental illness, striving to eliminate stigma, and advocating on behalf of people with mental illness in our state. Click here to support MHA of Georgia.
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