Women Choose Health

Women Choose Health

What is the aim of this initiative?

Psychiatric disorders (e.g. depression and anxiety disorders) are recurrent during the perinatal period, negatively impacting the entire family system.

Although treatment options are available (e.g., psychopharmacotherapy; psychotherapy), the decision-making process can be complex.

This initiative aims to examine the levels of decision conflict regarding treatment options (e.g. use of antidepressants, psychotherapy) of women with perinatal psychopathological symptoms, as well as to map the maternal correlates of this decision conflict in both Portugal and Norway.

The initiative also aims to foster the exchange of knowledge, experience and best practices regarding patient-centred approaches to perinatal mental health in both countries.

The following activities have been identified in order to achieve the proposed objectives:

• Joint survey: data collection and reporting and publications - a joint cross-sectional online survey is being conducted targeting women in the perinatal period (during pregnancy or during the first postpartum year) in both countries to examine the levels of decision conflict of women experiencing psychopathological symptoms regarding available treatment options (e.g. antidepressants, psychotherapy) and the factors that may be related to such decision conflict (e.g. stigma, perceived effects of antidepressant use, etc.).
  
  
• Study / field visit: a field visit will be conducted during the joint research, at the end of data collection, to facilitate joint analysis of the data and discussion of the results. The study / field visit will also allow the research team to share experiences and best practices related to perinatal mental health disorders in both countries.
• Training action: a training action on patient-centred approaches for perinatal mental health will be organised in Portugal. The action will target (mental) health professionals working with the perinatal population. The action will include discussion on the study results and their implications.
• Dissemination and communication activities for the scientific and non-scientific community, using different media (website, social networks, press releases, short videos with different target audiences).

The expected results of this initiative aim to:

• to expand knowledge about the current decision-making process regarding the treatment of perinatal psychiatric patients.
• create knowledge to support future development of decision aid tools tailored to women's accounts and specific characteristics;
• foster the exchange of knowledge and best practices between the two countries;
• raise awareness of the importance of the topic in both countries through outreach activities.

• Women Choose Health initiative