Released February 27, 2026

About the Webinar

This webinar addresses perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), common yet often underrecognized mental health conditions during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Dr. Standeven reviewed prevalence, screening strategies, and evolving safety data on antidepressant use, while dispelling common myths and emphasizing timely, evidence-based care to improve outcomes for both mother and infant. A live Q&A followed, offering practical guidance for clinical practice.

Webinar Recording

Webinar Audio

Webinar Summary

In this webinar, Dr. Lindsay Standeven provided an overview of mental health during pregnancy and the postpartum period, collectively known as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs). Despite the misconception that pregnancy is a protective time for mental health, she highlighted the staggering reality that suicide and overdose are the leading causes of death in the first year following pregnancy.

Dr. Standeven discussed the evolution in understanding PMADs, emphasizing that the term encompasses much more than just postpartum depression—it also includes perinatal anxiety, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder, and postpartum psychosis. Dr. Standeven pointed out that for many women, these symptoms begin before or during pregnancy rather than solely after. Crucially, she noted that discontinuing psychiatric medications upon learning of a pregnancy carries a remarkably high risk of relapse; for instance, nearly 70% of women with a history of major depression experience a recurrence of symptoms if they stop their medication.

Dr. Standeven stressed the necessity of shifting to a "risk-risk" discussion. This approach requires providers and patients to weigh the well-documented, severe risks of untreated maternal mental illness—such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and long-term behavioral issues in the child—against the carefully studied, and historically overstated, risks of antidepressant exposure. She also highlighted severe disparities in care, noting that while women of color are twice as likely to experience PMADs, they receive treatment at half the rate of white women due to systemic barriers, institutional racism, and stigma.

In conclusion, Dr. Standeven highlighted the urgent need for timely, evidence-based treatment of perinatal mental health conditions, advocating for improved access, routine screening, and dismantling the stigma surrounding maternal medication use. Her overarching message to providers was clear: effectively treating maternal psychiatric illness is essential, as the foundation of a healthy baby is a healthy parent.

View a PDF of the webinar summary:
https://www.unboundmedicine.com/ann/webinars/2026/Mental_Health_During_Pre...

About The Presenter

Lindsay Standeven, MD

Dr. Lindsay R. Standeven is an Adjoint Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and works for Women’s Behavioral Health at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. After completing her residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Standeven completed two years of advanced academic training in reproductive psychiatry. Dr. Standeven spent the earlier part of her career on the faculty at Johns Hopkins, serving as the clinical and education director for the Johns Hopkins Reproductive Mental Health Center. There, she oversaw clinical staff and taught psychiatry residents in reproductive psychiatry. She is passionate about teaching and advocacy in women’s mental health and serves on the board of the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry, where she helped spearhead a training program in women’s mental health for psychiatric trainees across the country. Her research focuses on the role of neurosteroid changes in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Her clinical expertise is in helping individuals struggling with mood-related changes due to pregnancy, postpartum, infertility, reproductive loss, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, premenstrual syndrome, and perimenopause.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Johns Hopkins Psychiatry Guide: https://www.hopkinsguides.com​

Unbound Medicine: https://www.unboundmedicine.com