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Perinatal Mental Health: 10 Answers to the Most Searched Questions

CE Hours 1.5

About this course

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of maternal mental health, specifically focusing on depression and anxiety during the antipartum and postpartum periods. Structured around answering the ten most searched questions on the internet regarding pregnancy-related mood disorders, the session addresses clinical definitions, the safety of pharmacological interventions, and the impact of social determinants of health. Learners will gain practical insights into identifying "red flag" symptoms versus normal hormonal fluctuations and strategies for improving patient disclosure through culturally humble care.

Learning Objectives

  • Differentiate between the "baby blues," perinatal depression, and postpartum psychosis based on symptom duration and severity.
  • Assess the risks associated with untreated maternal depression, including its impact on birth outcomes like preterm birth and low birth weight.
  • Evaluate the safety and efficacy of SSRIs and integrative health approaches (e.g., mindfulness) during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Course Instructor(s)

  • Karen Sheffield-Abdullah, PhD, MSN, CNM, FACNM, FAAN

    Dr. Karen has a doctoral degree in nursing from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Nursing and a Master of Science in nursing degree from Yale University. She is a certified nurse-midwife, mindfulness instructor and mother of four. Dr. Karen’s passion centers around stress and anxiety in Black women. She focuses on the utilization of holistic, integrative, multi-sector strategies to promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being for Black women, corporate teams, and healthcare professionals.

References

  • Junkes, L., Gherman, B. R., Appolinario, J. C., & Nardi, A. E. (2024). Treatment of depression during pregnancy: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychiatry, 15, 1349816. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1349816
  • Pinar, S., Bedford, H., Ersser, S., & McMillan, D. (2022). Women’s experiences of perinatal depression: Symptoms, barriers and enablers to disclosure, and effects on daily life and interaction within the family. Midwifery, 112, 103389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103389
  • Jahan, N., Went, T. R., Sultan, W., Sapkota, A., Khurshid, H., Qureshi, I. A., & Alfonso, M. (2021). Untreated Depression During Pregnancy and Its Effect on Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review. Cureus, 13(8), e17251. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.17251
  • Gram, M. A., Laksafoss, A. D., & Hviid, A. (2024). Antidepressant exposure patterns during pregnancy and risk of adverse newborn outcomes. Psychiatry Research, 342, 116274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116274
  • Schiller, C. E., Meltzer-Brody, S., & Rubinow, D. R. (2015). The role of reproductive hormones in postpartum depression. CNS spectrums, 20(1), 48–59. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1092852914000480

CE Process Info

Content

  • Perinatal Mental Health
    2 parts
    • Perinatal Mental Health: Part 1
    • Perinatal Mental Health: Part 2

  • Joint Accreditation (JA)

    In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

  • American Psychological Association (APA)

    Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.

  • Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)

    As a Jointly Accredited Organization, CE Learning Systems is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive up to 1.5 clinical continuing education credits.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Social Work (NYEDSW)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #0060.

  • New York Education Department for Licensed Mental Health Counselors (NYSEDLMHC)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0072.

  • New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology (NYEDPSY)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #PSY-0016.

  • New York Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy (NYEDMFT)

    CE Learning Systems, LLC  (d/b/a impactce.com) is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Marriage and Family Therapy as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MFT-0045.

FAQs

  • CELS Grievance
    If a grievance arises pertaining to continuing education activities or processes, please contact Tyler Gibson via confidential email to tyler@celearningsystems.com as soon as possible, so that the nature of the concern may be addressed in a timely fashion.
  • Course Completion
    To complete the course, review the course objectives, then watch the video power point presentations following along with the corresponding pdf, and lastly complete an evaluation. Your certificate will be available to download immediately when you complete the evaluation. Note that you can not continue in the course until you complete the previous section.
Perinatal Mental Health: 10 Answers to the Most Searched Questions
You Have Completed This course
Free
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  • CE Hours
    1.5
  • Type
    Self-Paced
  • Publication Date
    May 11th, 2026

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