Behavioral health issues are the highest cause of maternal deaths. But despite advances in medical care, addressing behavioral health issues remains complex — due in part to the inherent differences between managing clinical risks and behavioral health risks.
Unlike clinical risks, which are quantifiable and often supported by concrete metrics, behavioral health risks are more subjective and typically identified through self-reporting. This introduces an element of subjectivity that can complicate diagnosis and treatment.
Maternity amplifies these issues, highlighting the need for comprehensive and effective strategies to support maternal behavioral health.
Empower Women Through Objective Tools
Many signs and symptoms of behavioral health issues mimic the physical signs of pregnancy, making it difficult to differentiate between a symptom that is a warning sign and one that is a normal aspect of pregnancy. Increased stress and anxiety are common during pregnancy, a period marked by significant physical, emotional, and psychological changes. This ambiguity can make it challenging for patients to recognize and communicate their behavioral health concerns.
When a patient feels feverish, she can take her temperature to validate her concern. If she’s worried about preeclampsia, she can point to elevated blood pressure levels. However, there is no equivalent data point for high levels of anxiety. Clinically-supported depression screeners can offer some level of objectivity for mothers who struggle to recognize or raise concerns.
Babyscripts deploys PHQ-2/9 and/or EPDS assessments at designated times throughout the maternity episode via our mobile app. Based on responses, Babyscripts elevates the concern to the healthcare provider, surfaces educational resources, connects the patient to available benefits, and leverages our partnership ecosystem to offer patients more tailored support.
Address Stigma Through Education
While more women are speaking up about their experiences with prenatal and postpartum depression, their narratives are not the prevailing ones. In media, advertising, and often by friends and family, maternity is primarily portrayed as a time of joyful expectation and the birth of a child as one of the happiest moments in life. To have a different experience can feel isolating, leading many women to suffer in silence.
Education is a crucial tool for empowering these mothers. It is essential for moms to understand the prevalence of behavioral health issues and to recognize these issues as real and valid concerns. The more information that women have about the nature of behavioral health concerns, the less likely they are to overlook or ignore them.
Babyscripts provides mothers with 24/7 access to behavioral health content through our app, including information on signs and symptoms of risk as well as techniques to reduce and manage behavioral health issues. With these resources, Babyscripts facilitates higher quality appointments and empowers patients to bring concerns to their healthcare provider.
Strengthen the Relationship Between Healthcare Provider and Patient
Stigma and lack of awareness can make it difficult to raise behavioral health concerns within the limited time frame of a typical maternity care appointment. Often, clinical risks take priority, leaving little time to address mental well-being.
Building a relationship of trust between healthcare providers and patients is imperative for encouraging better communication of behavioral health risks. When women feel heard and believed, they are more likely to bring up concerns. This trust ensures that behavioral health issues can be identified and addressed more effectively, providing better overall care for both the mother and the baby.
Addressing behavioral health issues in maternity care requires a multi-faceted approach that includes objective tools, education, and strong patient-provider relationships. By deploying clinically-supported screeners, providing continuous access to educational resources, and fostering trust, we can better support maternal mental health and reduce the risk of maternal deaths related to behavioral health issues.
Submit a comment