Role of psychiatrists in the liaison activity of developing mental health and maternal and child health services in the perinatal period

Abstract

Perinatal mental illness is common in Japanese primary care, although poorly identified and treated. Improved perinatal mental health depends on liaison psychiatric service in the community that reflects a focus on promotion, prevention, and early intervention, while facilitating improved referral pathways between primary maternity health and mental health services. Science 2000, a community-based screening system for postnatal depression, has been developed among the pre-existing community-based services in municipalities. The screening model is delivered primarily by public nurses for maternal and infant health without the use of a psychiatric consultation liaison framework and therefore, this screening system did not work effectively in many municipalities. In these circumstances, it will be important to provide specialist mental health assessment and brief intervention in collaboration with the obstetricians, midwives, public health nurses, and specialists of social welfare services who remain the primary health providers. This review summarizes the developing individualized care plans for management of mental health in the perinatal period in the primary case sector using the vignettes.