The program’s interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, mental health social workers and nurses offer the following services:

• Psychiatric assessment and recommendations
• Psychotherapy (individual and group) and medication follow-up
• Parenting support
• Online mental health services
• Child psychiatry
• Addictions consultation

Intake telephone pre-assessment

Prior to your visit, your physician or midwife will request a consultation from us by faxing us a referral form. We will call you to schedule a telephone pre-assessment with the RLS nurse that will happen prior to your visit with the doctor. If you wish to schedule your pre-assessment before we call you or you have not heard from us within 2-3 days of your referral please call our program at 416-323-6230 to schedule your telephone intake.

The RLS nurse will ask you some questions about the reason for your referral, and any other information that will help us inform your assessment visit with the RLS psychiatrist. Depending on the reason for your referral, you may be asked to complete a short questionnaire over the phone so that we can better understand what symptoms you are having, and how severe these are. After your intake telephone call, your visit with the RLS psychiatrist will be booked.

What to expect at your first visit

When you arrive on the 7th floor, please proceed to check in at the information desk where you will be asked to fill out some important forms, including your current medications, and whether you would be willing to participate in research studies in our program if you are eligible. Please arrive 15 minutes early for your scheduled appointment to complete these forms.

Your first visit to our program will be with one of the RLS program psychiatrists who will help determine a treatment plan to meet your needs. Women who are pregnant or postpartum may be referred for additional services in the RLS program, including psychological therapy with a mental health therapist.

You are welcome to bring any children under the age of one in for your appointment. On-site child care is available through Stella's Playroom and should be booked in advance.

Wait times

The time between referral and first appointment is determined by your intake telephone pre-assessment. At the present time, we are offering appointments for most referred patients within 8 weeks of the intake appointment.

Booking an appointment

A referral by a doctor or midwife is required.

Download and complete the patient referral form from the Forms section below. Once completed, please fax to 416-323-6356.

Rapid consultation

A rapid consultation service is available for pregnant or preconception patients who require timely recommendations regarding the use of medication for treatment of depression in pregnancy. Every effort is made to provide a one-time consultation appointment within 3–5 business days. Post-consultation, patients can remain on the wait list for care, if required.

Psychiatrists

• Dr. Simone Vigod, MD, MSc, FRCPC
• Dr. Diane de Camps Meschino, BSc(H) MD FRCPC
• Dr. Alicja Fishell, BSc, MD, FRCPC
• Dr. Renu Gupta, MD, FRCPC
• Dr. Lori Wasserman, MD, FRCPC
• Dr. Aliza Israel, MD, FRCPC
• Dr. Cintia Padoin, MD, FRCPC
• Dr. Inbal Gafni, MSc MD FRCPC Dip. ABAM

Mental Health Therapists

• Greer Slyfield Cook, MSW, RSW
• Kaeli Macdonald, BFA, MSW, RSW
• Lindsay Witton MSW, RSW

Fellows

• Dr. Inbal Shlomi, MD

Intake & Triage

• Elaine Barrons, RN

At any given time our team also includes social work and medical students, post-graduate medical trainees in psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, and family medicine, as well as clinical fellows from Canada and around the world.

The RLS program at Women’s College Hospital is actively involved in a variety of research initiatives at our institution and through partnerships with other hospitals. We aim to conduct research that improves the health of women with mental health issues and their families across the reproductive life cycle, including across the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum and in the menopausal transition.

Current Studies Recruiting Participants

We have several clinical research studies underway that are actively recruiting participants:

• Postpartum Depression: Action Towards Causes and Treatment (PPD ACT) Canada

  Study funded by: Women's Mental Health Program, Women's College Hospital
  Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Simone Vigod
• Co-investigators: Dr. James Kennedy, Dr. Valerie Taylor, Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis, Dr. Sophie Grigoriadis, Dr. Tim Oberlander, Dr. Benicio Frey, and Dr. Ryan Van Lieshout
• Postpartum mental health problems are common and cause enormous human suffering and costs to society. As yet, we do not have a complete understanding of the causes of postpartum mental health problems, including postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. So, we cannot accurately predict who will develop them. We now know that postpartum mental health problems have a genetic basis. Understanding the genetic basis of postpartum depression and other postpartum mental health problems is an important goal that could lead to the development of preventive strategies and targeted treatments that could dramatically decrease suffering for women and their families.

   This research study uses an iOS app to identify Canadian women who have ever experienced postpartum depression or other postpartum mental health problems, and collect genetic information from them. Women can download the app from the Apple iTunes store. Those who have at any time experienced postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis will be offered the chance to provide a genetic sample.  Women can easily provide their genetic sample using a home-based saliva DNA collection kit (that the research team will send them), and mailing the sample back to the research team for analysis.  This study is open to any woman in Canada over the age of 18 who has ever had a live birth. For more information please visit, www.pactforthecure.com.

   

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• An Electronic Patient Decision Aid for Antidepressant Use in Pregnancy - RECRUITMENT IS NOW CLOSED

• Study funded by: The Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)
  Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Simone Vigod
• Deciding to start or continue an antidepressant medication during pregnancy can be a difficult and complex decision. If you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, deciding whether you should start or continue an antidepressant medication for the treatment of depression, and are conflicted about what to do, you may be eligible to participate in a study examining whether or not an interactive website is a helpful tool for women who are making this decision.
  

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• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) for Depression During Pregnancy

  Study funded by: SickKids Foundation and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR)
  Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Daniel Blumberger
  To prevent poor child outcomes, treatment of maternal depression in pregnancy is essential. However, for women who prefer not to use antidepressant medication to treat their depression, treatment options are limited. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a focal form of neurostimulation to treat depression that may offer pregnant women an effective treatment option for their depression without exposing the fetus to the effects of medication. If you are pregnant, currently experiencing depression, and have declined to use antidepressant medication treatment, you may be eligible to participate in our study on this non-medicinal treatment option.
  
  Read about the study in TRIALS | View our feature story on CTV
  For more information: email the study coordinator, Neesha Hussain-Shamsy

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• Postpartum group for COUPLES - RECRUITMENT IS NOW CLOSED

  Study funded by: Department of Psychiatry Excellence Fund 

  Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Andrew Howlett
  Have you recently had a baby and are you or your partner feeling depressed? A research study to develop a therapy group for couples is being offered at Women’s College Hospital which may help you. You may be eligible to participate if you and/or your partner are currently feeling depressed, you have a baby who is less than 12 months old, and are living together with your partner.

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• POCS-R study - RECRUITMENT IS NOW CLOSED

  Site Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Simone Vigod, in collaboration with McMaster University and University of British Columbia
  We are currently running a study to validate the revised version of the Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (POCS-R) in women. Participating in this study involves one study visit to consent to the study and complete questionnaires (approx. 30 minutes). This study visit can be before the patient’s clinic visit.

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• Using virtual care to reduce barriers to mental health care in postpartum women and full-time workers

  Study funded by: MOHLTC AFP Innovation Fund
  Principal Investigator(s): Dr. Jennifer Hensel
  We are currently recruiting for a study where women ican take advantage of personal computer videoconferencing as part of the therapy offered in the RLS program.

Other Ongoing Research Studies

In addition to the clinical research studies described above, our staff are engaged in high-quality research activities of relevance to women during their reproductive life cycle. Some examples:

• Immigration and Postpartum Mental Health

  Principal Investigators: Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Cindy Lee Dennis

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• Women Requiring Postpartum Psychiatric Hospital Admission

  Principal Investigator: Dr. Simone Vigod (Fellowship: Dr. Inbal Shlomi)

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• Pregnancy and Infant Outcomes for Women with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  Post-Doctoral Fellowship: Dr. Hilary Brown

There are many resources available for both patients and their healthcare providers. The following are leading websites that will provide the answers to many of the questions you may have about mental health during reproductive life stages:

Patient Handouts

• Patient Flow – Navigation of RLS Service
• List of RLS Therapies

Women's Health Matters
Womenshealthmatters.ca provides trusted news, features and research findings on women’s health, as well as Health Centres offering in-depth information on women’s health topics.

• Online Mental Health Centreopens in a new window
  
• Subscribe to our E-Bulletinopens in a new window
  This popular electronic newsletter, emailed to thousands of subscribers once a month, is packed full of information. It provides a great opportunity to see what's new on the site at a glance, read our latest news and feature articles, read advice from our health experts – and a whole lot more.

The Trauma & Mental Health Report 
The Trauma & Mental Health Report is a weekly online mental-health magazine published out of York University in Toronto. The Trauma & Mental Health Report sat down with Psychiatrist, Dr. Diane Meschino, to talk about Postpartum depression (PPD).

• Watch the video: What is Postpartum Depression?
  In the first video of the series she discusses the depression and anxiety components of the mental illness.

Program - Patient Referral

Mother Matters: Online Support Group - Self Referral