News from The Periscope Project
Spring 2025
Happy Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month!
Perinatal Mental Health Week
This year’s Maternal Mental Health Week, May 5-11, 2025, centers on the theme: “Storytelling Saves Lives.” By sharing real experiences, we can raise awareness, combat stigma, and foster a supportive community for mothers facing mental health challenges. Periscope is proud to take part in this movement by attending the DHS Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit, advocating for maternal mental health and breaking down barriers to care. All week long, the Periscope Project will be sharing stories on social media platforms to spread awareness so that no mother suffers in silence.
Case Study: Perinatal Substance Use
A psychiatrist contacted the Periscope Project regarding a 25-year-old pregnant patient, G1P0 at 16 weeks gestational age, with a history of polysubstance use and depression. The psychiatrist reported that the patient has been struggling with these issues throughout her pregnancy and was recently admitted with suicidal ideation and opioid withdrawal. The psychiatrist was seeking guidance on the best approach to managing her substance use and depression during pregnancy, while also wondering about legal reporting requirements and/or involvement of child protective services due to perinatal substance use.
The Periscope psychiatrist returned the psychiatrist’s call within six minutes. Discussion revealed that the patient was admitted to an inpatient behavioral health unit for acute suicidal ideation in the setting of opioid withdrawal. The patient had not engaged in outpatient mental health or addiction treatment prior to her psychiatric admission and had not yet obtained prenatal care. The patient did not have past medication trials for her depression or her polysubstance use. The psychiatrist asked about Wisconsin reporting guidelines for perinatal substance use and whether a CPS report was mandated at this time.
The Periscope psychiatrist recommended initiation of an opioid agonist (such as methadone or buprenorphine) to treat not only the acute opioid withdrawal symptoms but also the patient’s opioid use disorder following discharge. Gender-specific residential treatment facilities with the ability to care for pregnant patients and the maternal-infant dyad after delivery were discussed. In addition, connecting the patient to behavioral therapies and peer support resources was encouraged to assist the patient in her recovery. Lastly, the Periscope psychiatrist confirmed that the psychiatrist was not mandated to report this patient’s perinatal substance use to CPS.
Reduce the Risk of Postpartum Overdose through Education
According to 2020 data from the Wisconsin Maternal Mortality Review Team, 38% of pregnancy-related deaths were linked to mental health conditions, and 88% of those deaths were due to overdose. The highest risk of death occurs 7-12 months postpartum. Healthcare providers play a vital role in improving outcomes for pregnant and postpartum patients with substance use. Continuing education on substance use disorder is essential to savings lives and supporting families. Check out some of the free training offered in Wisconsin.
Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is a statewide educational, tele-ECHO initiative that connects clinical experts with primary care providers and medication assisted treatment prescribers across Wisconsin to reduce substance-related complications.
Upcoming Session:
Caring for Older Patients with Substance Use Disorders presented by: Laurel Bessey, MD | May 16, 2025, 12:15-1:15pm
Wisconsin CONNECT seeks to reduce and prevent substance use in Wisconsin by providing technical assistance and training opportunities for substance use prevention and treatment grantees, providers, clinicians, social workers, and support staff. They are the bridge between your formal education and today’s best practices.
Upcoming Session:
MATRIX for Meth Use | June 11, 2025, 9am-4pm
Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care
The Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care (WAPC) enhances perinatal health outcomes by providing professional and consumer education, supporting quality improvement initiatives, and fostering multidisciplinary system development. Through collaborative efforts, WAPC promotes and coordinates evidence-based, high-quality perinatal care across Wisconsin.
Upcoming Session:
55th Annual Wisconsin Perinatal Conference | October 6-8, 2025
2025 Periscope Educational Series
Periscope is hosting two educational series in 2025 divided into a Perinatal Mental Health series and a Perinatal Opioid Use Disorder Series. Each session is designed to enhance clinical understanding, promote best practices, and support comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Management of Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Perinatal Patients | May 14, 2025, from 12-1p.m. CST
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Now it’s called NOWS! | May 16, 2025, from 12-1p.m. CST
Focusing on the Perinatal Brain: Evaluating Attention Symptoms in Motherhood | September 10, 2025, from 12-1p.m. CST
Bipolar Disorder Management in a Perinatal Patient | November 12, 2025, from 12-1p.m. CST
All webinars can be viewed on our website
Available Monday – Friday from 8am – 4pm CST, excluding holidays.
Provider to provider perinatal psychiatric tele-consultations within 30 minutes.
E-mails returned within one business day.
The Periscope Project is a program of the Medical College of Wisconsin – Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine.
