Mindful of Motherhood: Prioritizing Maternal Mental Health

05/20/24 • 36 min

A February 2024 research review in JAMA Psychiatry identified perinatal mental health and substance use disorders, namely suicide and opioid overdoses, as the cause of nearly one in four maternal deaths.

Reproductive psychiatrist, Dr. Emily Dossett, and executive director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health, Joy Burkhard, join this episode of the Business Group on Health podcast to broaden our understanding of this stunning, yet largely unrecognized, relationship. We also learn about other maternal mental health challenges, the impact social determinants of health have on perinatal mental health, and how employers can help support mothers and their families.

More Information:
Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Reports and Fact Sheets:
https://www.2020mom.org/reports

JAMA Psychiatry Research Review:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2814936

Health Affairs Article on Perinatal Mental Health:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01455

Guests: Dr. Emily Dossett | Reproductive Psychiatrist; Founder & Director, Reproductive Mental Health Program at the LA General Medical Center
Joy Burkhard | Executive Director, Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health

More Information:
Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health Reports and Fact Sheets:
https://www.2020mom.org/reports

JAMA Psychiatry Research Review:
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2814936

Health Affairs Article on Perinatal Mental Health:
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2023.01455

Previous Episode

Autoimmune Disease: An Outsized Impact on Women

It has been estimated that anywhere between 24 to 50 million Americans, the majority of whom are women, are affected by autoimmune diseases, with onset often occurring during their prime working years.

Tune in to this episode of the Business Group on Health podcast to hear from Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz, a double-board certified rheumatologist and patient advocate. Dr. Ortiz shares the biggest challenges facing those with autoimmune diseases, research on why these conditions more often affect women, and how employers can support patients through health and well-being benefit programs.

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Ortiz | Rheumatologist l Founder, Connected Rheumatology

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90% of Adults Meet Criteria for This Serious Syndrome: Understanding CKM

Following 50 years of steady decline, cardiovascular mortality rates began to plateau in the past decade. Alarmingly, this plateau recently became an uptick, which many believe is due in part to cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome – a disease that 90% of adults meet criteria for but many may not have heard of.

In this episode of the Business Group on Health podcast, we talk with Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, board-certified cardiologist and lead author of the Presidential Advisory Report on Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health. Dr. Ndumele educates us on CKM syndrome, the overlap of obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and the cardiovascular system, as well as the need for increased awareness. He also shares ways to identify and treat genetic, social and environmental risk factors, and why education and understanding this condition is critical for patients of all ages.

More Information:
Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association – https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001184

PREVENT Online Calculator:
https://professional.heart.org/en/guidelines-and-statements/prevent-calculator

Guest: Dr. Chiadi Ndumele, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Cardiologist, Johns Hopkins University