2002 International International Biennial Scientific Meeting

SCREENING FOR PERINATAL MENTAL DISORDER: A WORKSHOP

Carol Henshaw* and Sandra Elliott

* Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Keele University, Academic Unit, Harplands Hospital, Stoke on Trent, UK

chenshaw@bankhouse.u-net.com

Objectives: The facilitators, who ran an international multiprofessional workshop on 'Screening for Perinatal Depression' at the Marcé Biennial International meeting in 2000 are editing a book on the subject and have revised the Marcé Resource Pack. They aim to promote discussion around the issues involved in screening pregnant and postpartum women for mental disorder and to achieve consensus on best practice.

Method: The workshop is open to any professional who has experience of clinical or research work in related to screening. It is not intended to be a training workshop for novices. Speakers will introduce the topic, highlighting controversies in the area. There will be a whole group brainstorm followed by small group work. Each group will feedback at the end and the whole group plenary hopes to achieve consensus. The facilitators will draw on their work with the Keele 'Training the Trainers' course, The UK National Screening Committee and the Royal College of Psychiatrists Perinatal Psychiatry Special Interest Group.

Results and Conclusions: A number of countries are preparing guidelines and care pathways for the detection and management of pregnant and postpartum women with mental illness. This workshop will inform that work and will assist the Marcé Society in producing a consensus statement on best practice.