APA releases education resources on maternal mental health.

Annually, one in five childbearing persons in the United States experiences a mental health or substance use disorder before, during or after pregnancy, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) stated in an Aug. 1 news release. To ensure that psychiatrists and mental health clinicians are best positioned to respond to this need, the APA, with support from the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] Foundation, has released a series of educational materials for addressing perinatal mental health in its Psychiatric Toolkit. The toolkit includes eight fact sheets for clinicians and patients, a white paper, and a four‐part webinar series covering this understudied and underserved area of mental health. These materials can be accessed at APA's Perinatal Mental Health website (https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/professional‐interests/women‐s‐mental‐health/maternal‐mental‐health‐toolkit). The white paper calls for revisions to academic and continuing education curricula to improve competency and confidence within the behavioral care workforce for treating this population. It examines the care of vulnerable populations, raising such issues as cultural competency and lack of access. This "Mental Health Needs Assessment in the Management of Perinatal Psychiatric Disorders" is supported by the CDC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $447,209 funded by the CDC/HHS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]