Speak Up Washington E-Newsletter NEWS Welcome ! Welcome to the first edition of the Speak Up Washington E-Newsletter, a product of the NEW Postpartum Depression Awareness Campaign (Speak Up When You're Down) headed by the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect in conjunction with many fabulous community partners. To view a list of the PPD Leadership Group, click here. You are receiving this newsletter because you have been identified as a person interested in the campaign. If you do not wish to receive this newsletter in the future (a new edition will be released each month) please use the "opt out" option at the bottom of this email. If you enjoy this resource and would like to recommend it to others, read on! Share This Resource At the very top of this email on the right hand side, there is an envelope icon that says "Send This To A Friend". We encourage you to use that option to send this newsletter on to friends, co-workers, and even your own distribution lists. When you send it via the link above, your friends can sign up to receive this regularly by clicking on the "Sign Up" link at the bottom. Alternatively, feel free to forward this email the old fashioned way - individuals can email Kristen Rogers at rogerkr@dshs.wa.gov directly to sign up for this e-newsletter as well. The Speak Up When You're Down Postpartum Depression Campaign During the 2005 legislative session, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill authorizing the Washington Council for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect to conduct a public awareness campaign about Postpartum Depression. The campaign, "Speak Up When You're Down", will launch its website at the end of this month. The web address will be: www.speakup.wa.gov. For more information about the campaign itself, including the campaign plan and other details, you can visit our website at: www.wcpcan.wa.gov (scroll to the bottom) or contact Chris Jamieson at jamiecd@dshs.wa.gov. Research and Resources Welcome  Do you know of a great article, resource or event related to Postpartum Depression? This newsletter will come out once a month and we want to ensure we are including the newest research, the best resources and all relevant events, so PLEASE, send on anything you think might be of use to others interested in the topic of Postpartum Depression. Send any links, articles or the like to Kristen Rogers at rogerkr@dshs.wa.gov. Thank you!

EVENTS Promoting Maternal Mental Health during Pregnancy Workshop March 13th - 14th, Seattle, Washington This is a 2-day training workshop for professionals addressing the emotional and psychological issues women face during pregnancy. There are three reasons you must not miss this training opportunity: you will learn strategies and interventions that will assist the pregnant woman maneuver through the unique challenges and tasks faced during pregnancy; you will learn how to ask the right questions to get the information you need to promote maternal mental health; and you will leave with a plan for implementing your new knowledge in your practice and sharing the training with your staff and co-workers. For more information, go to: http://www.ncast.org/p-pregnancy.asp. Perinatal Mood Disorder and the Labor Support Provider March 15th, 7pm - 9pm, Seattle, Washington Childbirth represents a tumultuous time in a woman's life. Amidst the vulnerability and volatility of labor and birth, women with emotional disorders experience a particularly difficult passage, fraught with intense emotions such as rage, helplessness, and despair. At the same time, caring for women in the midst of these human dilemmas can be very rewarding. In this workshop, we will discuss how the intense emotional experience of labor may be exacerbated for women with additional emotional issues, and how the doula can offer appropriate support and guidance. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.openarmsps.org/. The REACHE (Regional Association of Childbirth Educators) Conference March 31st, 8am - 5pm, Puyallup, Washington The topic is "Real Life with Babies" which will prepare expectant parents for the reality of postpartum. The conference fee is $105. For more information and to register, go to: http://www.reache.info/ or call (425) 681-0736. New Parent Forums - Postpartum Mood Disorders April 22nd, 3:30pm - 5pm, Seattle, Washington This conference is part of the Great Starts Birth & Family Education New Parents Forum. It is intended for individuals with a history of mood disorders (or concern about postpartum) who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. The forum is free of charge, but we request a $10 donation, which goes to support programs at Great Starts, a non-profit organization. Please register in advance, at least five days before the forum. To register, send an email to info@greatstarts.org, or call (206)789-0883. For more information, go to: www.greatstarts.org/forum.htm. Beyond the Birth: Current Trends in Treating Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders April 27th, Talaris Conference Center, Seattle, Washington Postpartum Support International is proud to present this conference entitled: Beyond the Birth, Current Trends in Treating Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders. The training will cover: mobilization of support systems; current trends in medical management; the pediatrician's role in screening for PPMD's; the impact of child sexual abuse on PPMD's; and a panel of recovered mothers and fathers. For more information, go to: http://www.ppmdsupport.com/conf06.php. Postpartum Support International's 20th Annual Conference June 9th - 10th, Jersey City, New Jersey This year, Postpartum Support International's 20th Annual Conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, in Jersey City, New Jersey. This annual conference is an educational activity for members; professional care providers such as obstetricians, gynecologists, pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, social workers, support and resource providers; and others interested in the topic of maternal mental health. At the end of the conference, participants will be able to: identify community solutions, interventions and treatment options which provide support and resources to women and their families suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; identify and describe postpartum spectrum mood and anxiety disorders; describe the methods used by selected programs to enhance the delivery of mental health services to postpartum women; and more! For more information, go to: www.postpartum.net/2006-PSI-Conference.pdf.

RESOURCES CIGNA Foundation Grants Health is the foundation's primary concern and will receive priority for grants. Proposals emphasizing women's health issues such as maternal and infant care, breast cancer, cancer of the reproductive organs and women's safety issues such as domestic violence receive top consideration. Of particular interest are efforts to improve the accessibility and adequacy of prenatal and infant health care. Studies that examine the cost of health care and ways to control health-care costs are also of interest. We prefer to support organizations in which CIGNA employees have expressed an interest or which serve a significant component of the local population. We also consider cultural institutions with national or international reputations. For more information, go to: www.cigna.com/general/about/community/grant_information.html. Good Health Habits Can Reduce Depression during Pregnancy and Post-Partum From Centerlines At least one in eight pregnant women suffers from bouts of depression. In addition to hormonal changes, depression can result from the stress of adjusting to the many changes associated with pregnancy and motherhood. For women with an easily available support system to help them through these changes - family, sympathetic friends, prenatal classes, public health nurses - stress can be managed and may even be energizing in meeting the challenges ahead. But, for many other women, especially those living in isolated situations, depression can escalate to levels that may be harmful to both the woman and the infant. For more information and to read the full article, click here. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Invites Letters of Intent for Investigator Awards in Health Policy From those early in their careers to distinguished senior scholars, investigators are invited to undertake studies that explore the underlying values, historical evolution, and interplay among the social, economic, and political forces that shape health, health care, and health policy in the United States; apply new perspectives from a variety of disciplines to analyze the organization, delivery, and financing of health care services, workforce issues, and public health challenges; develop innovative ideas that hold promise for contributing to better policy-making; and synthesize existing work in ways that expose its policy significance and advance the understanding of key issues. The program will provide 24- to 36-month grants of up to $275,000 to up to ten highly qualified individuals. For more information, go to: http://fconline.fdncenter.org/pnd/10000547/rwjf.  Nursing Best Practice Guidelines: Interventions for Postpartum Depression These best practice guidelines (BPG), developed by the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, are systematically developed statements to assist practitioners' and clients' decisions about appropriate health care. The focus of this guideline is on the confirmation, prevention, and treatment of mothers with depressive symptoms in the first postpartum year. This guideline will benefit community, family practice, and hospital-based nurses, as well as other health professionals caring for postpartum women. Specific Practice Recommendations relate to the confirmation of mothers with depressive symptoms and include implementation of effective preventive and non-pharmacological treatment interventions. Education Recommendations are suggested to support clinical practice in the care of mothers experiencing depressive symptoms in the postpartum period. Finally, Organization and Policy Recommendations have been developed to address the importance of a supportive practice environment that enables the provision of effective care and includes strategies for ongoing evaluation of guideline implementation. For more information and to download these guidelines, click here.

RESEARCH   Associations between Maternal Childhood Maltreatment and Psychopathology and Aggression during Pregnancy and Postpartum Lay individuals and clinicians alike often discount mental health symptoms during the pregnancy and the postpartum period. As a result, psychopathology during this time often goes unrecognized and untreated, leading to negative outcomes for both mother and child. This work adds to the understanding of the unique challenges of this time of life and supports the idea that the mother's childhood experiences affect her ability to cope with changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Understanding such vulnerabilities may improve the ability to target the problem of psychopathology during pregnancy and postpartum and to meet the treatment needs of women in this period of life. To read the full article on this, you can purchase it at: http://www.ispcan.org/ or contact Kristen Rogers at rogerkr@dshs.wa.gov for a photocopied version.  Adolescent Mother's Depression After the Birth of Their Babies: Weathering the Storm Adolescent motherhood continues to be a common and complex phenomenon in the Western world, accounting for almost 500,000 births annually in the United States. A recent review of national infant health data revealed that as many as 48% of adolescent mothers experience depressive symptoms, compared to 13% in adult mothers. This study addressed the phenomenon of adolescent mothers' depression after the birth of their babies from the viewpoint of the adolescent mothers. Feeling depressed as an adolescent mother following the birth of a baby included several unique characteristics: feeling changed, different, and scared with the sudden realization of motherhood; feeling torn between the responsibilities of adolescence and motherhood; feeling abandoned and rejected by partners and peers; questioning and not understanding the experience of depression and what was happening to them; feeling like everything was falling down on them; and feeling that they were re-grouping to see a different future. The powerful impact motherhood had on the study participants and which contributed to their feeling depressed emphasizes the need for community service professionals to continue targeting this population for follow-up. Given that all of the participants had expressed these feelings of depression in the first 3 months following the birth of their babies, and that for some these feelings continued, it would be helpful for health and school personnel to provide both anticipatory guidance and supportive follow-up services. For more information or to read the full study, click here. Study Exploes Racial and Ethnic Differences in Factors Associated with Early Postpartum Depressive Symptoms In a June, 2005 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the authors of one article claim that their "research documents substantial racial or ethnic differences in the prevalence of early postpartum depressive symptoms." The authors note that little research has explored racial differences in the physical symptom burden and daily function of new mothers. The study found that 31% of white women, 44% of African American women and 47% of Hispanic women screened positive for depressive symptoms in their first 2 weeks postpartum. The authors state that their results "suggest that screening for postpartum depressive symptoms is important, particularly in women of color".  For more information about this study, go to: www.greenjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/6/1442?etoc.

EXTRA! FEATURE ARTICLE Fatigue Predicts Postpartum Depression Persistent fatigue may be the first indication a new mother might develop postpartum depression, according to a new study from The Ohio State University in Columbus. Researchers say women feeling extremely fatigued two weeks after giving birth are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression a month later. "All mothers are tired right after having a baby. It helps them get the rest they need to recover and heal from the physical and mental stressors of childbirth," says Elizabeth Corwin, the study's lead author and an associate professor of nursing at Ohio State University. "But for most women," she continues, "fatigue steadily fades within the first two weeks of giving birth." Researchers found it was fatigue rather than stress or a history of depression that was the best indicator of which women went on to develop postpartum depression. The study revealed, of the 31 women, 11 had symptoms of depression, seven had a history of depression in their family, and four had a personal history of depression. To read the full news story, click here. To view the abstract for the research article itself and learn how to purchase the full article from the Journal of Obstetric, Gynocologic and Neonatal Nursing, click here.