Assessment, Engagement, and Treatment Entry for Latina Women with Perinatal Depression

Abstract

Despite the availability of validated screening tools and effective treatments for perinatal depression, rates of entry into mental health treatment for women who are depressed during pregnancy or postpartum are disappointingly low, especially for Latina women. Separation of mental health assessment from perinatal care, and a paucity of strategies to actively engage women in treatment, may contribute to this problem. This chapter summarizes two studies of models of care that integrate mental health assessment and engagement strategies into perinatal care in community clinics serving primarily Latina women. Results show that it is feasible to incorporate diagnostic assessment for depression into perinatal care visits and that women’s acceptance of mental health assessment by perinatal care providers is high. Treatment entry for women diagnosed with perinatal major depression was substantially improved by incorporating mental health assessment into perinatal care visit on the same day as the screening. These findings pave the way for further efforts to improve clinical and functional outcomes for Latina women with perinatal depression and their offspring.