Improving front-line clinician capacity to address depression and bipolar disorder among perinatal individuals: a longitudinal analysis of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms

Perinatal mood disorders (PMDs) are common, yet many patients are undertreated. The Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) for Moms is designed to increase clinicians’ willingness to address PMDs. We examined utilization of MCPAP for Moms and associations with PMDs treatment, including the more complex bipolar disorder (BD). Analyses of MCPAP for Moms data examined utilization from 7/2014 to 6/2020 and associated treatment outcomes. Participants were clinicians (n = 1006) in obstetrics/gynecology, family medicine, and pediatrics. Encounters included (1) resource and referrals and (2) psychiatric consultations (program psychiatrist consultation with clinicians or patients). Utilization sub-groups were identified using group-based trajectory modeling. Higher utilization of MCPAP for Moms was associated with increased rates of treating PMDs (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.06–1.07). Examining by encounter type, psychiatric consultations resulted in more frequent rates of clinicians treating PMDs than resource and referral encounters. Utilization of direct patient consultation was associated with the greatest increase in rates of clinicians treating BD (IRR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.82–2.41). Clinicians with highest utilization rates of psychiatric consultations longitudinally had strongest predictive associations with providing direct mental healthcare to patients with BD (IRR = 13.5, 95% CI: 4.2–43.2). Utilization of MCPAP for Moms facilitates clinicians’ ability to provide mental health treatment to patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00737-023-01324-1.