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Coping with Perinatal Anxiety – Strategies for Ensuring Patients Get Access to Quality Mental Health Care

December 10, 2021
Anxiety during the pregnancy and postpartum periods is thought to be even more common than perinatal depression, but it is rarely diagnosed and treated. Increased stress regarding employment, securing childcare, and access to resources in light of the COVID-19 pandemic have made the problem even more salient for health care...

Perinatal Mood Disorders, Bonding, and Attachment

December 1, 2021
Mary Kimmel, MD and Andrea Diaz-Stransky, MD-BHSc When pregnant and postpartum people suffer from depression and/or anxiety, they can struggle to connect with their babies in healthy ways. This can lead to difficulties with bonding and attachment. Insecure attachment in mother-child dyads can lead to increased anxiety and emotional problems...

NC MATTERS Mental Health Care Package

August 31, 2021
The NC MATTERS Maternal Mental Health Care Package is available for download! This easy-to-access toolkit allows perinatal patients to find information about commonly requested resources across North Carolina, including QR codes for quick access to resource databases, and a few wellness tips they can try right away. Please contact us...

What is NC-PAL?

May 17, 2021
Learn more about how Duke University and UNC work together to offer the North Carolina Psychiatric Access Line, which powers both NC MATTERS and the North Carolina Telehealth Partnership for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Access. This short video explains why psychiatric access programs are essential for perinatal and pediatric mental...

Congressional Briefing on Maternal Mental Health and Suicide

January 10, 2021
NC MATTERS Medical Director Dr. Mary Kimmel presented at the 2nd Annual Congressional Briefing on Maternal Mental Health and Suicide on June 8, 2021. The event was sponsored by Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, March of Dimes, and Sage Therapeutics in cooperation with a number of national organizations aimed at...

Perinatal Mood Disorders: Helping Your Patients Access Mental Health Care at UNC

October 1, 2020
Pregnant and postpartum women and their families are experiencing high levels of stress at this time. Learn about NC MATTERS and the SUMMIT Study: two mental health care access programs within the Perinatal Psychiatry department at UNC that support providers and patients via teletherapy, psychiatric assessments, real-time provider consultation, and...

NIMH Postpartum Depression

January 16, 2020
NIMH brochure discussing the symptoms and treatment options for postpartum depression, aimed at women and/or their loved ones

MATTERS Toolkit

December 13, 2019
We created this toolkit to assist front-line OBs and PCPs in the prevention, identification, and treatment of behavioral health concerns in pregnant and postpartum patients. This toolkit contains screening tools, algorithms, and clinical guidance which can be tailored to the specific practice environment.