New mental health guidelines

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 56, No. 6, July August 2014, Page 286 News

As many as one in five women in BC will experience a mental health disorder during the perinatal period (conception through pregnancy and up to 1 year postpartum). The Best Practice Guidelines for Mental Health Disorders in the Perinatal Period has been developed to support health care clinicians in this early detection and coordinated treatment of pregnant and postpartum women with mental health challenges. 

The guidelines include:
• An overview of mental health disorders in the perinatal period. 
• Four common disorders: depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, and psychotic disorders, including postpartum psychosis.
• Education and prevention, screening and diagnosis, treatment, and recommendations for each disorder. 

If left untreated, consequences from the disorder can include compromised prenatal care, increased risk of obstetrical complications, selfmedication or substance use, compromised mother/infant interactions, and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments in the developing child. The guidelines were developed by BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services and Perinatal Services BC, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and are available online at http://bit.ly/1hiyRl7. 

Hard copies of the guidelines are available for purchase via http://bookstore.cw.bc.ca.

. New mental health guidelines. BCMJ, Vol. 56, No. 6, July, August, 2014, Page(s) 286 - News.


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Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

About the ICMJE and citation styles

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