Women are twice as likely as men to develop depression or anxiety throughout their lifetime. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health. The number of women who reported mental health impacts from COVID-19 was threefold that of men with more than a quarter of women reporting increased stress, anxiety and other mental health struggles. Depression in women is most common among the ages 25-44. Symptoms of anxiety and depression may occur in relation to a specific life event, may be episodic, or chronic, and often occur together.
Safe and effective treatments are available for depression and anxiety. Yet, fewer than half of women who experience clinically significant depression or anxiety receive care. Primary care practices are ideal settings to identify and address mental health conditions among women of reproductive age, since women in this age group are likely to have periodic contact with primary care practitioners.
Who We Are
Focus on ME, a project comprised of primary care providers across Ohio, is dedicated to improving health outcomes for women of reproductive age. The goal is to improve care related to depression and anxiety for women in Ohio seen at primary care practices by focusing on evidence-based behavioral health screening and treatment.
Interested in joining the Focus on Me Project ? To learn more, check out our Quality Improvement Opportunity for Primary Care Practices flyer. The 12-month project implementation period for the next phase starts in April 2025. Contact Abigail.Ezzeldin@osumc.edu for more information -or- visit www.go.osu.edu/fomregistration4
Resources
The following resources are available for download:
Partners
Focus on ME is funded by the Ohio Department of Health and the Medicaid Technical Assistance and Policy Program (MedTAPP), and administered by the Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center.
Clinical experts include:
- Dr. Seuli Bose-Brill: Chief, the Ohio State University (OSU) Combined Internal Medicine/ Pediatrics Section; Director, OSU Maternal-Infant Dyad Practice; Director, OSU Center for Health Outcomes in Medicine Scholarship and Service; Director, OSU Pragmatic Clinical Trials Network; Associate Professor, Clinical, Department of Medicine, OSU College of Medicine.
- Dr. Lisa M Christian: Clinical Health Psychologist, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research the Ohio State University College of Medicine.
- Dr. Bethany Panchal: Associate Program Director, The Ohio State University Family Medicine Residency Program, Director of Maternity and Women’s Health, Associate Professor - Clinical at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
- Dr. Casia Horseman: Psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
- Dr. Colleen Waickman: first-year child and adolescent psychiatry fellow at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Resident-fellow member on multiple state and national committees through the Ohio Psychiatric Physicians Association and the American Psychiatric Association.
We also want to acknowledge our previous clinical advisor who supported the start of the project.
- Dr. Jaina Amin: Adult Psychiatrist
References
1 Women & Depression. 1 in 8; twice the rate of men. NAMI. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/Press-Media/Press-Releases/2008/Women-Depression-1-in-8;-twice-the-rate-of-men.
2 Farr, S. L., Bitsko, R. H., Hayes, D. K., & Dietz, P. M. (2010). Mental health and access to services among US women of reproductive age. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 203(6). doi:10.1016/j.ajog.2010.07.007
3 Depression in women. Mental Health America. (2021). Retrieved from https://www.mhanational.org/depression-women#3
4 Remes, O., Brayne, C., van der Linde, R., & Lafortune, L. (2016). A systematic review of reviews on the prevalence of anxiety disorders in adult populations. Brain and Behavior, 6(7). doi:10.1002/brb3.497
5 Facts and Statistics. Anxiety and Depression Association of America. May 22, 2019.
