To refer a patient to our program, please fax the referral form to our office at 604-875-3115.
The BC Reproductive Mental Health program offers a consultation service to BC physicians requiring information on perinatal mental illness, specifically medication use for women who are pregnant and breastfeeding. Please call 604-875-2025, leave a message, and your call will be returned by the Physician-on-call as soon as possible.

Assessment tools:

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (English)
For translated copies of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, please visit Perinatal Services BC

Guidelines:

CANMAT Guidelines - Major Depressive Disorder (2009). See page S38 for information on special populations including perinatal women.
CANMAT Guidelines - Bipolar Disorder Update (2009). See page 237 for information on special populations including perinatal women.
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of Anxiety Disorders (2006) vol 51 Supplement 2. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.
Clinical Practice Guideline: Antenatal and postnatal mental health. (2006) National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence: National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health.

Provincial Strategy Framework:

Addressing Perinatal Depression: A Framework for BC's Health Authorities (2006). BC Reproductive Mental Health Program.

Resource Centres, Training, Materials:

MotherRisk Professional's Web Site
Best Start: Ontario's Maternal Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre supports service providers across the province of Ontario who are working on health promotion projects to improve the health of expectant parents and their young children with well developed resources for Perinatal Mood Disorders.
Creating Circles of Support:for Pregnant Women and New Parents (2010) is a BestStart manual for service providers supporting women’s mental health in pregnancy and postpartum.
The Peel Postpartum Mood Disorder Program (2009). Includes a PMD tutorial as a first step in enhancing service providers knowledge of PMD. This website is based in Peel, Ontario however the information provides education and skill development for anyone who works with women and their families.
Keys to Postpartum Depression. (2003). University of Washington School of Nursing. An on-line tutorial offering a series of multi-media training modules on screening, understanding and treating women with perinatal depression.
Supporting families affected by parental mental illness. Website offers information, tips sheets, BC and international links, for service providers providing care to parents with a mental illness.
WithinSight Newsletter features BC resources about mental health, well-being, alcohol use and other drug use that are designed for multicultural and multilingual communities.

Presentations & Posters:

Practical Interventions for the Health Care Provider. Updated May 2009 on use of medications in pregnancy and postpartum as well as a 5 step protocl for health care providers working with women experieincing depression and anxiety in the perinatal period

Abizadeh J, Albert G, Nanda A, & Misri S. The Need for a Perinatal Specific Generalized Anxiety Scale. Canadian Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. Vancouver, BC. October 2011. Poster presentation.

Abizadeh J, Kipnis T, & Carter D. Supporting Women Experiencing a Perinatal Loss. Canadian Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. Vancouver, BC. October 2011. Poster presentation.

Books & DVDs on Perinatal Depression:

Psychiatry in Primary Care: a concise Canadian pocket guide. David Goldbloom & John Davine, Editors. Centre for Addiction & Mental Health (2011). *Includes a chapter on Perinatal mood & anxiety disordersPostpartum Depression: A Guide for Front-line Health and Social Service Providers, by Lori Ross, Cindy-lee Dennis, Emma Robertson Blackmore, Donna Stewart (2005). Toronto: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Heartache and Hope: Living through Postpartum Depression (DVD). This video follows mothers who were experienced PPD. They discovered that their unexpected struggles ultimately led to unanticipated joys and the knowledge that PPD does subside. Order online.
Promoting Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy by JoAnne E. Solchany (2001). NCAST Publications.
Treating Postnatal Depression: A Psychological Approach for Health Care Practitioners, by Jeannette Migrom, Paul Martin & Lisa M. Negri. (1999). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide, by Cheryle T. Beck & Jeanne W. Driscoll (2005). Jones & Bartlett.
A Guide to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale by John Cox and Jeni Holden (2003). Royal College of Psychiatrists. Gaskell: London.
Perinatal Psychiatry: Use and Misuse of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, by John Cox & Jeni Holden (1994). London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Pregnacy Blues: What Everyon Woman Needs to Know About Depression During Pregnancy, by Shaila Misri (2005). New York: Bantam Dell.

Books & DVDs on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT):

Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond, by Judith Beck (1995). New York: Guilford Press.
Learning Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, by Jesse Wright, Monica Basco & Michael Thase (2006). Washington: American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.
Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioner’s Guide, by Robert L. Leahy (2003). New York: Guilford Press.
Treatment Plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders by Robert Leahy & Stephen Holland (2000). New York: Guilford Press.
Cognitive Therapy for Challenging Problems: What to Do When the Basics Don’t Work, by Judith Beck (2004). New York: Guilford Press.
Culturally Responsive Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Assessment, Practive and Supervision, Ed. by Pamela Hays & Gayle Iwamasa (2006). Washington: APA.
Improving Outcomes and Preventing Relapse in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Edited by Martin M. Antony, D.R. Ledley & R.G. Heimberg. (2005). New York: Guilford Press.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Groups, by Peter J. Bieling, Randi E. McCabe, & Martin M. Antony. (2006). New York: Guilford Press.
Clinician’s Guide to Mind Over Mood, by Christine Padesky& Dennis Greenberger (1995). New York: Guilford Press.