Perinatal mental health and psychotropic medicines in pregnancy

Join us for this in-depth webinar on perinatal mental health with leading experts in the field. Learn about common mental health presentations, evidence-based screening tools and how to have balanced, informed discussions with people pre-conception and during early pregnancy about the risks and benefits of psychotropic medicines.

With up to one in five women experiencing perinatal anxiety or depression, it is important for health practitioners to have the knowledge and confidence to support families. Leading perinatal mental health experts from the Royal Women’s Hospital, Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) and the Parent-Infant Research Institute will discuss:

• Perinatal mental health risk factors and priority population groups 

• Signs, symptoms and effects of perinatal distress on parents and the development of a child

• Evidence- based perinatal mental health screening tools

• Common concerns and questions of women in pre-conception and early pregnancy taking psychotropic medicines

• The latest evidence on psychotropic prescribing in the antenatal period

• Principles when discussing risks and benefits with patients (including obstetric and neonatal outcomes)

• Resources available to health professionals and patients

Speakers

Kirsty Oldridge is the National Helpline Manager for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety Australia (PANDA). She has over 20 years’ experience working within the public, private and NFP sectors, at senior operational and strategic levels. Kirsty is a transformational leader who encourages and inspires people to perform, creating meaningful change. Kirsty has successfully managed national programs and overseen significant digital transformation projects, with a focus on improving community outcomes through service delivery improvement initiatives. Through her role and teams at Beyond Blue she enabled delivery of the strategy with a particular focus on uplifting the data and insights to help inform evidence-informed supports and services.

Bonnie Jephcott is the Practice Liaison Lead at PANDA, and has over 15 years’ experience in counselling, training and health writing. Bonnie has worked at PANDA since 2017 in several roles including the Helpline, Community Education and Training, and Communications and Engagement teams. Her areas of interest are perinatal-infant mental health, suicidology, sexology, compassion-focused and somatic therapies, and trauma-informed care for survivors of abuse. Her lived experience of maternal perinatal suicide informs her passion for, and commitment to, evidence-informed, multidisciplinary perinatal mental health care that integrates and centres the lived and living expertise of peer practitioners and service users.

Dr Charles Su is a Consultant Psychiatrist with a keen interest in psychotherapy, perinatal psychiatry and adolescent mental health. After graduating from the University of New South Wales MD program, he completed a Master of Psychiatry. Working across hospitals in Sydney and Melbourne, he has rich exposure to complex psychiatric presentations. Additionally, he has dedicated perinatal psychiatry training in two of Victoria’s biggest maternity hospitals. Charles's clinical practice focuses on providing holistic and evidence-based treatments for parents affected by mental illnesses during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.

Dr Michele Burn is a clinical psychologist with a special interest in perinatal, infant and child psychology.

Brydie Garner is a research officer with a strong background in psychology, focusing on parenting and child mental health outcomes. Michele and Brydie will provide an overview of the new Mum2BMoodBooster Clinician Portal for GPs and other health professionals, which is free and supported by the Australian Government. 

Learning outcomes:

1. Describe the burden of perinatal mental health in the community and identify higher risk and/or priority populations
2. Assess perinatal mental health using evidence-based screening tools
3. Explain how to balance the risks and benefits of psychotropic medicines in pregnancy and lactation
4. Access useful mental health resources for clinicians and patients to support shared decision making