Psychotherapy - MGH Center for Women's Mental Health

Internet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Postpartum Depression

Although postpartum depression (PPD) affects about 15% of all women after the birth of a child, most women with PPD receive no treatment. One of the problems has been inadequate screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Over the last decade, there has been an emphasis on educating health care professionals to reliably screen for PPD; however, other obstacles to obtaining treatment remain. Many women cannot find appropriate treaters in their area. Others are not able to get childcare in order to attend weekly appointments. Given these limitations, it is important that we explore other types of interventions that might be used to reach and effectively treat women with PPD.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2014-09-12T09:35:02-04:00September 8th, 2014|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off

Self-Compassion: A Cure for Menopausal Symptoms?

About 75% of peri- and postmenopausal women have vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats; however, some women experience more distress or "bother" in response to these symptoms. A new research study suggests that certain personality traits may affect how women experience these uncomfortable symptoms.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2014-07-28T10:47:14-04:00July 23rd, 2014|Menopausal Symptoms, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off

New Research from the CWMH: CBT to Reduce Risk of Relapse in Women Attempting to Discontinue Antidepressants

Pregnancy is a time of risk for women with histories of major depression. In a study where 201 women with histories of recurrent depression were followed prospectively through pregnancy, 43% experienced a relapse of major depression during pregnancy. Relapse rates were highest in the group of women who elected to discontinue antidepressant treatment proximate to conception (68% as compared to 26% in the group of women who maintained antidepressant treatment).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2016-03-28T13:02:51-04:00July 1st, 2014|Depressive Disorders, Prevention, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Psychotherapy, Research at CWMH|Comments Off

Netmums: An Internet-Based Intervention for Women with Postpartum Depression

While postpartum depression (PPD) affects about 10%-15% of women, most women with PPD do not receive any treatment. Over the last decade, we have made progress in increasing awareness of postpartum mental health issues; however, there are still significant obstacles to obtaining treatment. Women are not able to find appropriate treaters or cannot access care in a timely fashion, especially in more remote areas. They may not have reliable childcare and thus cannot attend their own appointments. Or they may simply be too depressed or anxious to leave their homes.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-07-09T11:56:58-04:00May 28th, 2014|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off

Positive Parenting Can Reduce Risk for Postpartum Depression

A recent study investigated the effectiveness of two pediatric primary care interventions for reducing the risk for postpartum depressive symptoms. The researchers tested two interventions designed to promote parental responsiveness: Video Interaction Project (VIP) is [...]

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-07T14:38:31-04:00April 15th, 2014|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevention, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

New Baby 101: Practical Intervention Strategy Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression

An intervention teaching new parents about normal infant sleeping and crying patterns and providing them with techniques for infant settling improves mothers' depression scores. There were no differences in scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at 4 months, but at 6 months, caregivers in the intervention group were almost half as likely to score higher than 9 on the EPDS, with 7.9% scoring higher than 9 in the intervention group vs. 12.9% in the control cohort (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.57).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-07T14:53:22-04:00January 13th, 2014|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevention, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

Interpersonal Therapy Based Intervention Reduces the Risk of Postpartum Depression in Teen Mothers

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a relatively common problem, affecting between 10% and 15% of women after delivery. Although it is difficult to reliably predict which women in the general population will experience postpartum mood disturbance, it is possible to identify certain subgroups of women who are more vulnerable. One such group is teen mothers, where the risk of PPD is about 25%.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-07T14:39:54-04:00October 30th, 2013|Postpartum Depression, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevalence & Risk Factors, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

CBT for Depression During Pregnancy Improves Mothers’ Attentiveness to Her Infant

During pregnancy, a woman develops increasing sensitivity and responsiveness to infants’ distress. If depression during pregnancy occurs, this process may be disrupted. Various studies are shown that women with depression are less responsive to an infant’s distress. The major concern is that this diminished responsiveness may persist as long as one year after the child is born, and when it persists, it may negatively affect the child. Decreased responsiveness of the mother to the infant’s cues may lead to emotional, cognitive and developmental problems in the child later on.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T11:25:09-04:00October 10th, 2012|Depressive Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders During Pregnancy, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off

CBT for the Prevention of Postpartum OCD

Given the prevalence of postpartum OCD and obsessive symptoms in women with postpartum depression, we should devote more time to this topic. This is an informative and well-written article by Alice Wolton on postpartum OCD in Forbes. In this piece, she mentions a recent study from Timpano and colleagues at the University of Miami where cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was used to prevent postpartum OCD.

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-08-12T14:52:07-04:00June 5th, 2012|Anxiety Disorders, Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders, Prevention, Psychotherapy|Comments Off

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Infertile Women: Is it Better than Medication?

Research indicates that women undergoing infertility treatment experience high rates of psychological distress (1). Additionally, it is believed that stress and depression have an impact on fertility, as it has been shown that certain psychological interventions may improve pregnancy rates in infertile women (2-4). In a recent study, Faramarzi and colleagues compared the effects of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), fluoxetine, and no treatment on the mental health of infertile women who had been trying to conceive for at least 2 years (5).

By MGH Center for Women's Mental Health|2015-07-28T14:32:54-04:00April 4th, 2011|Depressive Disorders, Infertility and Mental Health, Medication, Psychotherapy, Treatment|Comments Off