Perinatal Mental Health Care

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month!

The prevalence of postpartum depression has increased sharply among people of color. Why do you think this is??? Swipe 👈🏻👈🏽👈🏿 for some clues and important stats and dates!

Knowing the signs of postpartum depression can help move the needle toward improving perinatal mental health in communities of color. I cant wait to learn more at the Black Maternal Mental Health Summit in Houston TX at the end of the month! Will you be there?

I hope everyone enjoyed Father's Day!

Let's support dads to take on a wider range of roles, acting as nurturers and  . We need to ensure that all   get time home after a   is born, to form bonds and find their footing as they navigate their new family. 

International Father's Mental Health Day serves as a reminder that we need to support dads mental health too! Swipe 👈🏻👈🏽👈🏿 for more!

What a year it's been!!! I have truly enjoyed working with this incredible team and excited to enter YEAR 2 of our NIH funded R.I.S.E. Study! The purpose of the R.I.S.E. study is to improve clinical care of Black pregnant individuals during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

None of this would be possible without our amazing Community Partners!
Lauren Elliott - Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Candlelit Therapy which serves as a safe space where Black mothers could receive better behavioral healthcare options, treatment and resources.
Kelly O'Connor - Executive Director of Maternal Mental Health Now () whose goal is to ensure that all of Los Angeles County’s new families have the resources they need to address maternal mental health disorders so that they can grow and thrive

At Cedars-Sinai:
Dr. Kimberly Gregory - Director of the Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine and Vice Chair, Women's Healthcare Quality and Performance Improvement in the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Sinmi Bamgbose - Board-Certified Adult Psychiatrist specializing in Reproductive Psychiatry, with special interest in providing high quality and affordable psychiatric care to people of color.
And you all know me - I'm Dr. Eynav Accortt, a clinical psychologist specializing in maternal mental health and a research scientist at Cedars-Sinai, investigating the biopsychosocial risks for .

Recruitment is in full swing so if you (or your client/patient/friend) is a Black pregnant individual, living anywhere in the U.S., will be 12-32 weeks pregnant and at least 18 years old, you could be eligible to participate! Compensation is $60-$120, depending on how involved one chooses to be in the research!

Please share this post or our study flyer - swipe 👈🏿👈🏽👈🏻 for that.

Do you agree?

Undiagnosed   and   result in complications that can continue through   &  , making it harder for a mom to care for herself & her baby.  While there is standardized screening for gestational diabetes in prenatal care (very important!), states have just started to require PMAD screening.

Thankfully, Cedars-Sinai has been making   a priority by screening all new mothers for   since 2017! We help you make your mental health a priority since we understand there is no separation between physical health and mental health.

According to Postpartum Progress, approximately 950,000 American women self-reported postpartum depressive symptoms annually before the pandemic. To put this number in perspective, each year more women will be affected by postpartum depression than diabetes (approximately 800,000). If a first trimester blood test could identify   risk, physicians could connect their patients to care immediately and potentially prevent them from developing severe symptoms and long-term effects.

My research team is working to discover a diagnostic blood test for  .  To read some preliminary results of that research please click on my Biolink and select "Featured Blog Post," and "Featured Research Article."

In the meantime, depression screening with validated surveys like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale is effective if combined with PMAD education and referral to mental health providers vetted in maternal mental health. Ask your doctor or nurse for a screening or a referral if they dont offer one to you! WERE YOU SCREENED FOR POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION?

📢 We are still recruiting for the R.I.S.E. study!!! 📢

Thanks to our incredible partners,  and , our team launched the R.I.S.E. study to improve clinical care of Black pregnant individuals during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We are testing the effectiveness of a mobile health (mHealth) web application informed by real world experiences that will allow pregnant participants to engage with educational modules about techniques and help participants create a self-care plan to achieve emotional wellbeing during this vulnerable period.

Studies suggest that stress from racial discrimination  increases inflammation. We aim to explore this by collecting a small amount of blood at your first visit and 3 months postpartum - however this part of the study is optional!  

If you (or your client/patient/friend) is a Black pregnant individual, living anywhere in the U.S., will be 12-32 weeks pregnant and at least 18 years old, you could be eligible to participate! Compensation is $60-$120, depending on how involved one chooses to be in the research!

Please click the link in my bio and select "R.I.S.E. Study" for more information and next steps to register!

Please share!

Did you know that high risk OB patients and those with babies in the NICU are 3X more likely to have   and   than other  ?!? 

It’s Maternal Mental Health Awareness awareness month and I would love to take this opportunity to connect with the   community here and those who might have been in the because of a perinatal complication like .

Getting the care they need while inpatient and when they leave the hospital is hard. Let's help them overcome these barriers! 

At the Reproductive Psychology Program we have two excellent offerings for our NICU and MFCU moms! Please swipe 👈🏻👈🏽👈🏿 for more information.

Never again is now. 

Today, May 5th, is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. As the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and granddaughter of a man who didn't survive, current events scare me. As a mother, my fear now includes the safety of my children...in particular what college life will soon look like for my son.

I won't let fear steal my joy. I know that good prevails and that my community & many outside it will continue to support Jews. In fact 3 different non-Jewish friends reached out to me this week to ask how I'm doing. After all, we are strongest together. But the Jewish People all over the world are hurting.

I am grateful to live a relatively peaceful life. But if I ever feel scared to identify myself as Jewish in a country with growing antisemitism, I have my Israeli passport ready. My homeland saved my family from dying out once & it can do it again. I hope I don't have to make that choice and if so, that im brave and smart enough to know when. 

I am in awe of my grandmothers strength and bravery! After multiple perinatal losses, my father was my grandparents . They planned to move their young family of 3 from Hungary to Israel, but my great grandfather forbade them. Two years later all the men were murdered. We have been in Hungary since the 1400s and none of that mattered. We can't go back because we were never welcome. But my 16 yo Dad was welcome to Israel when his Mom finally moved them there. As an immigrant myself, ive always felt welcome in the USA & I was proud to become a citizen when I was 16 years old. But I'm not kidding myself. If generations can be wiped out, land can be stolen, i wonder, what's different now? What's different is We Are Israel.

My Jewish family, we need to stand proud and share our history and indigeneity to the land of Israel, the ONE Jewish country in the world (compared to 158 Christian & 49 Muslim countries). It's critical to our religion, our culture and our survival. If you arent Jewish, your words and support matter too. Maybe more.

Please stand with us 💙

Its almost Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week and all month we will be raising awareness for MMH!

Maternal mental health disorders, AKA  , like   are the MOST common complications of childbirth and   is one of the leading causes of maternal death. 

In fact, there are more new cases of   suffering from maternal depression each year than women diagnosed with breast cancer! More than 600K women suffered from   disorders in the US each year BEFORE COVID19 (rates are higher now) -- yet less than 15% of those diagnosed ever receive treatment. How can we as a community change these numbers? How can we prevent new cases and increase connection to care for the diagnosed cases?  

Swipe 👈🏿👈🏾👈🏻 for more information and help raise awareness for maternal mental health!

💟 Use the hashtags  and  on social media
💟 Tell your story to help raise awareness of maternal mental health issues so that more women will get treatment and fewer will suffer
💟 Come up with your own ideas to highlight that   in your area
💟 Stay tuned all month for highlights that maternal mental health is a global issue!

Its Infertility Awareness Week (April 21-27l!

CDC statistics in the U.S. report rates of infertility of men and women are similar with 9% of men and 10% of women reporting infertility. The cost of infertility is high financially and emotionally, with average IVF cycles ranging from $20,000 to $60,000 and 60% of infertile individuals reporting higher rates of anxiety and depression directly linked to trying to conceive (Clinical Therapeutics, 2014). Infertility is a multi-year grieving process. It doesn't vanish when you eventually have a family. 

Please swipe 👈🏼👈🏽👈🏾 to learn more. 

Amazing image + quote below .22 via  

・・・
“Infertility lives within you forever. Once you become pregnant you do not suddenly become fertile – you are just now infertile and pregnant through the grace of God and science. IVF takes a toll on your body, mind, spirit and all relationships in your life. My husband and I have put ourselves on the line for what we believe in for years, not once giving up or thinking this was the end of our story. No matter how tough the battle is, never give up. We have learned to endure until we've overcome all the adversities we were facing. Miracles can and will happen – they just might take a little longer than expected. To all the Warriors out there, I see you, I am you and I love you – keep climbing Mama.”

Give yourself grace!

Friday reminder for my IG fam ❤️

Wish you had a map to help you emotionally navigate your reproductive journey?

Let our staff at the Reproductive Psychology Program help show you the way! Join Tuesdays at 11AM PST for our FREE Preparing for Postpartum Wellness Class. This is not an ongoing support group - the material is the same each week.

Pre-registration required, see biolink amd select "Cedars-Sinai groups" for details!

Thanks for the inspiration!

The  proclaimed April 11–17 as  and April 16 as the Day of the Black Infant in LA County! Supervisor  introduced the motion in continued support of Black mothers and babies.

Black Maternal Health Week highlights that Black maternal mortality rates are 3-4 times higher than for other racial and ethnic groups in the US.⁠ The problems are systemic (medical discrimination and racism, low access to high quality care and unconcious bias), are not new, and cause unnecessary stress to Black people. It will take efforts from all of us to make the needed changes!

Swipe 👈🏿👈🏽👈🏻 for some of the events happening this week and next!

Join Cedars-Sinai and BlackDoctor.org for a crucial conversation on Black maternal mental health. Black women face an increased risk of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. I'm honored to be included on this panel of experts to shed light on the importance of early diagnosis and access to support and effective treatment.

Learn about our NIH funded RISE study on and discover how you can actively engage on this important issue. Hear the inspiring story of who created a comedy routine from her experience and used it as a catalyst for legislative change.

Don’t miss out on this empowering and informative event, this Wednesday 4/10/24!

Many   continue to deal with intersecting issues of  ,   and economic inequality that have a disproportionately negative impact on their   and  . More awareness and action are needed if we expect anything to change. That is what Black Maternal Mental Health Week is all about!

Created and Hosted by ,   promotes health equity for more black birthing individuals across their birth experience. Next week we collectively working for greater community impact and change.

Swipe 👈🏿👈🏽👈🏻 for information about a great panel coming together next Wed afternoon in collaboration with and . Hope to see you there!

Check out this great new blog post about the challenges of breastfeeding! Clink to read the full post:

https://www.cedars-sinai.org/blog/anxious-about-breastfeeding.html

If you are struggling, please register for the Reproductive Psychology program: "Stress less: A Breastfeeding Support Group" 4 session series. The April series is starting up again next Monday April 8th!

Join us!

For community and conversation on the challenges and joys of . Bring your questions, your stories, and your sense of humor! You’ll learn coping skills and practical tips and receive resources and referrals should you need further support. Topics will include:

👶 Mitigating the stress and anxiety around breastfeeding

👶Sl eep, exercise, and nutrition = you matter!

👶 Setting and maintaining boundaries

👶 Weaning and finding balance

This virtual group is open to anyone in the USA and will be on Mondays 5:30 – 6:30 PM; 30 min discussion with mental health provider and 30 min Q&A with certified lactation consultant.The cost: $40 for 4 weekly sessions each month, registration required.

Click on my link in comments for more information and to register. Please share with your patients, friends and colleagues!

We are hiring!!!

Are you interested in helping us grow women's mental health research at  ? We are hiring a new full time Clinical Research Coordinator to be involved in exciting work! For details please click my biolink and scroll down for the job posting link.

Please share and apply!

As promised, I'm sharing the next installment of the Cedars-Sinai blog series about women's health throughout the lifespan! Happy to be included in this most recent edition about health in our 30s. Proudly covering topics that are rarely discussed, for example, some families are complete without children!

“Some women make a conscious choice to be childless and are content with the decision,” Accortt said. “However, their relatives or friends may continually ask when they’re planning to become pregnant. The same may be true for parents of an only child who aren’t planning to have another. Talking about your decision with loved ones may help them see that you’re happy to be childless.”

Read the whole blog post by clicking my biolink and selecting "Featured Blog Post."

Happy !

To all of my social work colleagues, friends and family (my SIL is an amazing )! Thanks for everything you do! You are valuable and so appreciated!

Special shout out (swipe right) to the 2 social workers I spend most of my time with in the program!

Tag a social worker that you admire!

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month!

Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis and make it harder to get pregnant. Endometriosis can start at a person's first menstrual period and last until menopause. It can be very emotionally distressing and therapy can help. Swipe for more information on .

The Reproductive Psychology Program offers one of the few endometriosis support groups class in the US! It is held monthly via Zoom by Caryn Lindsey, LCSW, PMH-C, and the March session is tonight, Monday 3/4/24 at 6PM PST!

She also leads Empowered Relief® a single-session (2-hour) class that equips endo patients with greater knowledge and effective skills. That is held next Monday 3/11/24!

There is still time to register for both. Please click my biolink and select "Cedars-Sinai Groups."

The Winter issue of the Reproductive Psychology Program's newsletter arrives to your inbox today and is dedicated to heightening awareness of parents who have experienced pregnancy/baby/child loss.⁠
⁠
Losing a baby/child is one of the most heartbreaking things one can endure.⁠ While we continue to find ways to honor and validate our losses, it’s important that know they are loved and supported.⁠
⁠
It may be important to reach out for professional help. Please consider joining our Perinatal Grief and Loss Support Group. Registration for the March series is open now! Click my biolink and select "Cedars Sinai Groups." And if you arent on our mailing list, click my biolink and scroll to the bottom to add your email address!

It's "Thank a Trainee" Day!!! We are so to our current and former trainees, all pictured here together (along with our staff)! Graduate externships, internships and practica are key components of graduate and social work training, offering an in-depth exposure to clinical practice. It requires professionalism, dedication and many responsibilities.

Started in 2018 by the Gold Humanism Honor Society, Thank a Resident Day (now expanded to trainees) is a special day that takes place each year on the last Friday of February to collectively show gratitude and appreciation for resident physicians and fellows, and how integral they are to the healthcare team.

Please thank a trainee today!!!

Women are seen by medical providers so frequently while  , yet we’re only seen once  . 

This is not OK. 

Now more than ever,   need their mental and physical needs met postpartum! If you're in your   request an early postpartum check up to discuss your needs!

Did you need more than 1 postpartum visit?!?!?

Loving this new series on the blog all about women's health throughout the lifespan! Honored to be included in this most recent edition about health in our 20s.

Read the whole blog post by clicking my biolink and selecting "Featured Blog Post."

Swing back by soon for the next edition about in our 30s and beyond!

The Reproductive Psychology Program has a quarterly newsletter and the Winter edition will be coming out soon!

Subscribe this week and receive updates about our new services, news and research on , training opportunities (get your ), tips on managing or and MUCH MORE! This is for patients and providers alike!

If you are interested, please click link in comments and scroll to the bottom of the page to enter your email address or feel free to DM me your email address!

Please share!

"I hate crying!", a client recently said as she wiped the tears from her cheek. This got me thinking about crying and how people tend to associate it with negativity. Why do most of my clients apologize when they start crying in session!?! Why is there such negativity around expressing strong in our society? 

Is crying always negative? Do we hate the loss of control? The vulnerability? What do you think?

Crying is actually healthy! Swipe 👈🏿👈🏾👈🏻 to see the many of and learn more about the neurochemistry of these gains.

February is American Heart Month! Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer of women in the U.S.? And that about 90% of cardiovascular diseases can be prevented!?!

❤ Women who have a like , or are at higher risk for future

❤ Depression, anxiety and stress are all much higher after a medical complication of pregnancy and can contribute to later heart disease.

❤ There are protective factors! Regular , , and proper are some good examples

Swipe 👈🏾👈🏻👈🏼 for more information and inspiration.

In my culture we have a strong connection to trees. 🌳

In fact, today is a holiday celebrating the New Year for Trees. Its always struck me as an odd time to celebrate nature, since we are in the dead of winter. However, once half the winter has passed, its strength is weakened, the cold is not as intense, and the budding process begins. What strength it must take to power through the hard unfriendly environment and provide the nourishment and support it needs to grow into the beautiful trees we enjoy! Same rings true for us, as we navigate some of the hardest darkest moments of our lives. At times, it may feel like the ugly reality will never end.

Take heart. Yes, it may be smack in the middle of winter, but today marks a turning point, a time when under all that cold and snow the sap of the trees is rising, readying for spring. In a sense, this holiday signifies that sometimes it is precisely from within the darkest and coldest moments of our lives that the new blossoms burst forth!

Happy TuB'Shvat to all who celebrate!

Tuesday Truth 💣

Thank you  for saying it so well: "It’s also a type of to expect yourself to always show up perfectly in your as well. It is OK to have standards and . We need to find that middle space between tolerating everything and tolerating nothing. Thankfully, that middle space is quite big."

🚨MOTHER LAB PODCAST IS NOW UP!🚨Check it out!

Dr. Bamgbose () and I were honored to be invited on the 2nd season of the M.O.T.H.E.R. Lab podcast! The episode is entitled: "Mental Health Matters: A deep dive into Reproductive Psychiatry." We talk about what led us both into this field and share some of the most important information about that ISNT being widely spread. We end with highlighting our new NIH funded R.I.S.E. study. If you can find 30 min to spare, please have a listen by clicking "Featured Podcast" in my biolink.

We highly encourage you to join   in conversations about maternal health inequities and reproductive battles plaguing the world, as they address the inequities that Black women face daily in the health care sector. This podcast is an extension of the work of the MOTHER lab that seeks to address and advocate for maternal health inequities at the local and national level.