The Day Hospital is a unique day program that treats pregnant and postpartum women who are suffering from depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders. This innovative service allows mother and baby to remain together in a specialized treatment program. Set in a Women & Infants’ facility, the Day Hospital treatment team consists of licensed professionals who are experts in women’s mental health and maternal-child behavioral health.

Background
Women are more likely to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy and the postpartum period than at any other point in their lives. Up to 15% of women who give birth suffer from a diagnosable mood disorder. It strikes women with financial freedom as well as those who are financially disadvantaged. It strikes women who have satisfying marriages and careers, and it strikes those who do not.

Although postpartum depression can occur without warning, research has demonstrated some women are at higher risk for developing a postpartum psychiatric illness. They include: women with a prior history of depression or anxiety; women who have a family history of depression; women who develop a psychiatric disorder during pregnancy; and women who experience significant social stressors such as marital dysfunction, a lack of social support, or ambivalence about pregnancy.

Despite their prevalence, psychiatric disorders during pregnancy and postpartum are seriously under diagnosed and under treated in America. In part, this is due to a deeply rooted social stigma against psychiatric problems during this time in a woman's life. Without acknowledging other emotions, our culture defines pregnancy as a period of joy and fulfillment. Thus, many women feel reluctant to disclose feelings of despair, anxiety, hopelessness and lack of attachment to their newborn. Feeling guilty, they often suffer in silence and neglect their own mental health needs.

If you or someone you know is experiencing these feelings during pregnancy or the postpartum period, please call us at 401-274-1122, extension 2870.

Program Goal

• To provide timely, comprehensive and cost effective treatment to women suffering from psychiatric disorders during both pregnancy and the postpartum period. We do so by keeping the mothers and their infants together during maternal treatment. The benefits of this strategy are threefold:
  • the critical bonding period between mother and baby is not disrupted;
  • breastfeeding by nursing mothers is not interrupted;
  • we can directly observe how a mother’s illness affects interaction with her infant, while simultaneously fostering more positive attachment;
• Our objective is to intervene early in order to prevent the potentially negative effects of maternal depression on a developing infant.

• Group Therapy
• Individual therapy
• Mother-infant assessment
• Family assessment
• Pharmacotherapy as indicated
• Lactation consultation (Help with breast-feeding)
• Educational support
• Other forms of consultation as indicated