UAMS Receives Grant to Increase Awareness of Depression During and After Pregnancy

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas women battling depression during or after pregnancy need to know they have a special avenue for help through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).


 


The ANGELS (Antenatal and Neonatal Guidelines, Education and Learning System) program at UAMS was recently awarded a $250,000 federal grant to create a bi-lingual, statewide public awareness campaign designed to reduce the stigma associated with depression during and after pregnancy. The project, called DREAM (Depression Relief Education in Antenatal Medicine), will work to increase the awareness, screening and resources needed for treatment of this mental illness.


 


“Many women experience what is referred to as ‘baby blues’ (when a woman cries easily for 3 – 7 days following the birth of her child). This generally passes quickly without treatment and the mother is soon able to enjoy her baby. It is when depression lasts longer (more than two weeks) during or after pregnancy that we get worried, because it   can affect the growth of the fetus and the bonding between the baby and mother,” said Curtis Lowery, M.D., medical director of the ANGELS program, director of the division of Maternal Fetal Medicine and professor and director of obstetrics for the UAMS College of Medicine.


 


“Depression is a real physical illness impacting the entire body,” said Linda Worley, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology and co-director of the grant. “It needs to be recognized and effectively treated during pregnancy and post-partum. Many confidential treatment options are available and the only person who needs to know is your doctor.”


 


The grant will provide funding for surveys to physicians within Arkansas regarding their current practices and needs to address the issue and a media campaign that will bring the issue to the public. The project will conclude with a second survey to physicians to determine if the campaign was effective. The ANGELS Call Center is already available for questions from women with high-risk pregnancy or depression and their physicians at (501) 526-7425 or toll-free (866) 273-3835.


 


 UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has more than 2,200 students and 660 residents and is the state’s largest public employer with almost 9,000 employees. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.1 billion a year.


 


UAMS centers of excellence are the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.