Screening Isn't Enough: A Call to Integrate Behavioral Health Providers in Women's Health and Perinatal Care Settings.

Cara M C English

doi:10.5334/ijic.5640

Abstract

This paper aims to enhance the current understanding of integrated mental health services in the United States and how they can be better incorporated in perinatal and women’s health specialty care from the perspective of a behavioral health provider. While much is known about gender disparities of mental health and low recognition and treatment rates for mental health disorders in women’s health and perinatal care, few changes are being implemented to embed mental health specialists where they are needed most to close gaps in care. This paper demonstrates the value creation of integrated behavioral health in a midwife practice in the State of Arizona. Clinical and operational workflows can easily be adapted to include a behavioral health service to address mental and behavioral health needs that, when untreated, lead to long-term adverse outcomes in women and their families. Financial barriers that may hinder success of the integrated model are highlighted and discussed.

Highlights

IntroductionA key aim of integration efforts has been to embed mental health and social care practitioners (hereafter referred to as “behavioral health providers”) in primary care settings to increase identification and treatment of mental & behavioral components of chief complaints and chronic disease
Introduction and Definitions In the UnitedStates, a key aim of integration efforts has been to embed mental health and social care practitioners in primary care settings to increase identification and treatment of mental & behavioral components of chief complaints and chronic disease
Survey results indicated that the integrated behavioral health service greatly improved the perinatal experience for 73.9% of Willow patients, and that 91% preferred behavioral health to be integrated in perinatal/women’s health care

Summary

Introduction

A key aim of integration efforts has been to embed mental health and social care practitioners (hereafter referred to as “behavioral health providers”) in primary care settings to increase identification and treatment of mental & behavioral components of chief complaints and chronic disease. Behavioral health providers (BHPs) use evidence-based interventions to increase awareness of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can impact common chief complaints, such as insomnia, and to increase patient motivation to take action to improve health. Gender Disparities Gender specific risk factors for mental health disorders disproportionately impact women [20]. While perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) are common in pregnancy and in the year following birth, affecting 15%–34% of women annually, recognition and treatment rates are lower in pregnant and postpartum women than in the general population [19]. The long-term overall risk of suicide in pregnant women is 17 times that of the general female population and it is 70 times higher during the first year p ostpartum

Objectives

Results

Conclusion