Healthcare Providers

As a healthcare provider, whether it be in OB/GYN, pediatric care, or another healthcare provider you have a unique opportunity to be in a key position to educate parents and parents-to-be about Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs).  This education was also mandated for these key healthcare professionals by the Oklahoma legislature with the passage of SB419 in 2019. At the Oklahoma State Department of Health, we have produced educational materials for you to use in your clinics.  You can find them listed under the resources heading further down this page.  

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) asks OB/GYNs to screen for postpartum depression and anxiety at least once in the perinatal period, and again in the postpartum period.  Validated screening tools such as the Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are available at no cost on this page under the resources heading.  ACOG also requests that OB/GYNs use community resources for the treatment and referral of the mother with PMADs; and provide support for the maternal-child (dyad) relationship, including breastfeeding support.

The American Academy of Pediatrics asks pediatricians to screen for postpartum depression and anxiety at the 1-, 2-, 4-, and 6-month well-child visits.  Validated screening tools such as the Patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) are available at no cost on this page under the resources heading.  They also ask that pediatricians use community resources for the treatment and referral of the mother with PMADs; and provide support for the maternal-child (dyad) relationship, including breastfeeding support.