As part of the campaign “Advocating for the Introduction of Postpartum Depression Screening in BiH,” two workshops were held last week in Brčko District—one with healthcare professionals and one with parents.
To ensure that the introduction of postpartum depression screening is not just a formality, it is essential to educate and sensitize the healthcare workers who will be implementing it. It is crucial that they understand the importance of conducting the screening and that they are sufficiently sensitized so that pregnant women and new mothers feel confident, and are willing and open when completing the screening questionnaire.
At the Public Health Center Brčko, we discussed with healthcare workers the most common changes in mental health during pregnancy and after childbirth, their frequency, prevention, and treatment. Special attention was given to the method of conducting the screening and to the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the questionnaire used for this purpose. Healthcare professionals emphasized the urgent need for a systemic approach to maternal mental health, noting that the topic is still insufficiently recognized. In their opinion, family medicine teams, pediatricians, and gynecologists—both doctors and nurses/technicians—should all be involved in screening implementation. Participants also pointed out the limited staffing and technical capacities of the Health Center.
"The reason for our visit to Brčko and the activities we are implementing is to advocate for the mandatory introduction of postpartum depression screening across BiH. We were among the main advocates and initiators of such an initiative in Republika Srpska, and we are now carrying out the same activities in Brčko District and the Federation of BiH,” said Jelena Mihić Salapura from the EKO EHO Association in Banja Luka.
Just as it is important for mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers to be systemic, it is equally important to empower parents through education and support. Parenting is an emotionally intense, challenging, and transformative experience, especially in its early stages. During the workshop with parents, we shared experiences from that period and addressed the importance of self-care and the need for support—because our basic human needs do not disappear when we become parents, and it is vital that they are recognized, supported, and fulfilled.
The campaign “Advocating for the Introduction of Postpartum Depression Screening in BiH” is being implemented in cooperation with partner associations: the Association for Education and Development "Dignitet" from Mostar, the Association of Families Facing Infertility "Bebe" from Trebinje, and the Association of Active Women "Gender" from Brčko.
