Cultivating mental health education in obstetrics and gynecology: a call to action

Abstract

Mental health disorders are common and have a significantly negative impact on the health and well-being of women. For example, perinatal mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression are widely understood to be the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Untreated mental health disorders are associated with significant obstetrical and psychiatric sequelae and have a long-lasting impact on neonatal and childhood outcomes. As front-line providers for women during times of elevated risk of psychiatric morbidity, such as pregnancy and postpartum, obstetricians and gynecologists are compelled to have familiarity with such disorders. Yet, a wide gap exists between the level of education in mental health disorders that obstetrician and gynecologist providers receive and the clinical need thereof. The objectives of this commentary are to describe the urgent need for mental health education for obstetricians and gynecologists providers and to introduce our vision for a concise, evidence-based and accessible set of digital educational materials designed to convey core concepts in women's reproductive mental health.

Keywords: National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry; antepartum mental health; anxiety; depression; education; mood disorders; perinatal mental health; postpartum mental health; reproductive mental health; reproductive psychiatry.