Institute’s Screening Tool on MSN.com

You can imagine my surprise upon receiving an email that simply stated “Institute on MSN.” After momentarily debating whether this was a good thing or bad thing, I clicked…

Reproductive grief screening tool could reshape mental health treatment, open conversations about loss

Wow…what a headline!

And the article, picked up from Indiana University, was even better:

Researchers with the Indiana University School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI are bringing attention to grief felt by patients after a reproductive loss by helping to create a tool that can reshape clinical practice and aid patients facing complicated grief.

Approximately 2 million American women experience pregnancy loss each year. After such a loss, patients can experience grief, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, suicidal behaviors and profound threats to identity. In clinical settings, mental health issues after reproductive loss can be missed if health care providers lack the tools to detect the symptoms and measure their intensity.

Researchers Jennifer J. Bute and Maria Brann, professors in the Department of Communication Studies at IUPUI, have responded to this need by joining a team of researchers creating the Reproductive Grief Screen tool, which is composed of five targeted questions designed to be used in clinical settings. At the Institute of Reproductive Grief Care, both Bute and Brann serve on the Health Care Task Force.

It is gratifying that outlets such as MSN, and prestigious institutions such as Indiana University, are acknowledging the significance of the Institute-led creation of a reproductive grief screening tool – a tool that will ultimately bring comfort, hope and healing to individuals struggling after a reproductive loss.

Together we are making a difference.

With gratitude,

Michaelene