Programme to treat anxiety of pregnant women

Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi Medical University and Centre for Global Mental Health organised guest lectures on maternal mental health and child development by foreign experts here at CPC hall of RMU on Tuesday. Professor of Child Psychiatry at University of Liverpool, UK Professor Atif Rehman and Assistant Professor, Social Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA Dr. Pamela Surkan delivered the lectures that were attended by whole faculty, post graduate trainees, and final year students of RMU.

In his welcome address, RMU Vice Chancellor Dr. Muhammad Umar introduced the esteemed guests to the audience after which Co-chair Board of Advanced Studies & Research at RMU Professor Fareed Aslam Minhas gave a brief review of the progress and development done in the field of research at RMU.

He enlightened the vision of the university for the future and collaboration of RMU with the international universities. Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Atif Rahman gave overview of Liverpool Rawalpindi research and educational collaboration in global mental health foundation (GMHF). He then told about the ongoing research on perinatal anxiety saying preventing it can produce happy mother and ultimately healthy baby.

He gave his lecture on the significance of maternal well-being and child development as a national and global health priority. Dr. Pamela Surkan gave overview on maternal depression, effects of postpartum depression on child health especially in low income families and maternal depressive symptoms on growth of pre-school and early school children. The RMU also launched a major research initiative, Happy Mother Healthy Baby programme in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, UK and Johns Hopkins University, USA that was attended by Dr. Pamela J Surkan and Professor Dr Atif Rahman.

The programme aims to improve pregnancy and infant development outcomes by treating anxiety early in pregnant women. According to Professor Minhas, in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), women are prone to Common Mental Health Disorders (CMDs) such as anxiety and depression. These are associated with risk factors such as gender discrimination, interpersonal violence, lack of support, poverty and poor health. Pregnant women are particularly at-risk for such conditions.

Dr. Minhas said Pakistan is no alien to the suffering where up to 49% of pregnant women suffer from anxiety disorders. These anxiety symptoms tend to persist and strongly predict maternal depression and anxiety disorders postpartum, adversely affecting infant care giving, he said. He said the Happy Mother Healthy Baby program will cater to the anxiety problems in the prenatal period.

He focused on strengthening public private partnerships with academia, policy think-tanks, non-government organizations and global experts to address the mental health needs of populations in need.