Helpline for Mothers' Mental Health Care Providers

Dr. Mia Shaffer | Dr. Maya Berlin | Dr. Tal DeHaan

Hava Clinic, Sheba Medical Center-Tel Hashomer | Teratology Clinic, Shamir Medical Center-Assaf Harofeh

Project goal:

Establishing a unique consultation line for medical professionals, combining expertise in the fields of psychiatry and teratology - in order to support treatment management, and in particular medication, in patients suffering from mental challenges during the perinatal period.

Project description:

One in five women suffers from mental distress in the perinatal period: before, during or after pregnancy. Despite the prevalence of the phenomenon and its potentially serious consequences, many are not diagnosed or treated properly, sometimes due to barriers within the health system. These barriers include a lack of up-to-date training among doctors and psychiatrists who do not specialize in reproductive psychiatry, and reluctance to prescribe medications due to concerns about the effect on the fetus or breastfeeding, even when there is no medical justification for doing so.

The "Helpline for Mothers" project was born out of a need identified in the field: informal inquiries from professionals seeking advice on managing medication for mental conditions surrounding pregnancy and childbirth. The line will offer combined professional advice from a reproductive psychiatry specialist and a teratology consultant, and will be a reliable, available and up-to-date source for professionals from the community and hospitals. The project leaders have long-standing expertise and are involved in developing innovative models in this field.

This service is intended for family physicians, psychiatrists, gynecologists and more. Its goal is to train teams, to make current research available, to reduce barriers to medical care, and to support safe diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the service will be easily accessible to professionals who treat communities in geographically and/or socioeconomically peripheral areas.

In preparation for the distribution of the service, a needs assessment and characterization survey will be conducted, and the line will be marketed by holding webinars, lectures, and dedicated professional publications. In addition, an accompanying study will be conducted to assess satisfaction, the volume of referrals, and the impact of the service on the knowledge and attitudes of the medical teams.