UNIPSY enhances the mental health skills of maternal health care workers in the NWR

By Api Precious

Participants at the workshop

Enhancing the mental health skills of maternal health care workers from the Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmonC) network in the North West Region was the reason for a two day training organized by the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) and the Ministry of Public Health in partnership with the national NGO Psy Universe (UNIPSY). The two day event that ran from the 26 to 27 of March 2021 took place at the Alliance Francaise Bamenda premises.

The training was strategically implemented under the World Bank Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility (PEF) project and has as key objective; to increase participants knowledge (competences) on the risks of maternal psychological health and child development, through the detection of

psychological suffering.

According to WHO (2011) depression is the second most incapacitating or

disabling disease for women at child-bearing age, with a prevalence of about 12-

22%, mainly during pregnancy and the first year after delivery which has effects on the

foetus, baby, child, family; Low birth weight and growth retardation.

The training brought together about 30 participants amongst which were; Doctors, nurses and midwives from different health centers in the Northwest region and focused on topics such as;

▪️Upsets of pregnancy and birth. Some of which were listed as follows;

• INTRAPSYCHIC UPSETS

•NEW TIES TO CREATE (type of attachment)

•FAMILY UPSETS

•SOCIAL CONTEXT OF BIRTH and more

▪️Perinatal stress and it factors such as; pre or antenal period, the period of delivery and postal period.

▪️The risks/states of psychological suffering surrounding pregnancy and birth which includes; Baby blues, perinatal anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, perinatal depression.

The following were listed as frequent parinatal depression symptoms:

• Stress, worries

• Irritability, anger, aggressiveness, violence

• Changes in mood, sadness, down casted

• feelings of abandonment

• Exhaustion

• Enclosure, isolation

• Alcoholism

• Sleep and eating disorders

• Feeling of unsatisfaction in his role of a father.

▪️EPDS (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and PDS (Psychological Distress Scale). A valuable and efficient way of identifying

patients at risk for perinatal depression.

The head of Psy Universe (UNIPSY), JOËL DJATCHÉ MIAFO Clinical Psychologist and Psychopathologist Psychotherapist, Psycho-addictologist, and Psycho-pediatrician in his interview said the main objective of the training is to increase information and scale of health worker to be able detect and manage the mental health diseases of the mother in breast feeding and pregnancy.

UNIPSY's head, JOËL DJATCHÉ MIAFO

Clinical Psychologist and Psychopathologist

Psychotherapist, Psycho-addictologist, and Psycho-pediatrician

He also added that there are specific diseases mentioning maternal depression as one of the possible diseases that can cause psychopathology disorders in women before, during or after delivery. To correct this, he spoke about placing treatment where he mentioned psychological technical aspect (counseling), bringing support to the mother, reinforcing family and health worker support to the mother.

Being the second phase of the program, the first phase took 3 months (October - December 2020) in 2 health facilities; Regional Hospital and CBC Nkwen. The training was concerned with Psychological intervention, treatment, evaluation, counseling and education.

He mentioned that Psyco-education was given to more than 1000 mothers, Psyco-evaluation and counselling to about 200 mothers. He says that the main objective of the first phase was to create awareness of mental health problem around maternal period to the health worker, mother and family.

He recommends that such trainings be continued, to reinforce the skills, competence and information to the health workers and supervision be done after. He furthered that, they are working on a system to take care of Psychological problems in mothers especially.

The training ended with satisfied participants who opined that the training met their expectations and beyond.