Stephanie sits down with Dr. Eynav Accortt, PhD, Maternal Mental Health Expert, Director of Cedars-Sinai’s Reproductive Psychology Program, and Research Scientist. They talk about recent perinatal mood and anxiety disorder statistics, the importance of considering the biopsychosocial nature of mental illness, and the best practices for screening today. They discuss the mutual goal of not having mothers fall through the crack as well as novel concepts such as a Fourth Trimester Clinic.
Curious about a specific topic? Here’s what we cover:
00:20 Introduction to Dr. Accortt
00:48 Student interest in this topic
01:46 Overview of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders
03:23 Maternal mental health statistics
05:05 Considering the biopsychosocial nature of depression and/or anxiety
07:09 Is screening a culprit of the increased rates of maternal depression?
10:40 Best techniques and tools to screen
17:49 Dr. Accortt’s source of her inspiration for the work that she does
19:27 Introduction to Cedars-Sinai’s Reproductive Psychology Program
24:58 US Surgeon General’s Warning on the current status parental stress
26:41 Maternal mental health resources
Resources
Maternal Mental Health Now (1-888-823-SANA; https://www.maternalmentalhealthnow.org/)
Postpartum Support International (1-800-944-4773; https://www.postpartum.net/)
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline (1-833-TLC-MAMA; https://mchb.hrsa.gov/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline/faq)
Dr. Eynav Accortt
Cedars-Sinai Reproductive Psychology Program (https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/obstetrics-gynecology/specialties/reproductive-psychology.html)
Biography
Eynav Accortt, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in perinatal mental health and the Director of the Cedars-Sinai Reproductive Psychology Program. Her clinical research focuses on mood and anxiety disorders during the female reproductive life course and in response to chronic illness. She studies the physiological processes that are associated with higher risk for depression and anxiety in pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, and following diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. She is also interested in the association between maternal mental health and adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes, with a long-term goal of developing and testing effective interventions.
Dr. Accortt earned her Master’s (2004) and Doctoral (2009) degrees in Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She completed her clinical internship at the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2009 and was an assistant professor of psychology at Miami University in Ohio from 2009-2012. She completed her NIMH Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biobehavioral Issues in Physical and Mental Health at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014 and joined the faculty at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in 2015.