Women’s Mental Health Center

The Women’s Mental Health Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is devoted to studying the etiology and developing treatment for women with severe mental illness. In our clinical program, we focus on diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems from preconception through delivery and after. We consult on premenstrual and perimenopausal psychiatric disorders. In addition, we have special expertise in treating women with bipolar disorder.

I became interested in starting research programs for women with severe mental illness when working as a clinician. My patients came to me with perfectly reasonable questions, such as: Should I continue taking my medication during pregnancy? Why do I feel so mentally ill after childbirth, when I never felt this way before? Why is menopause such a high-risk time for women with mental illness? There simply were not enough studies on these topics, and few researchers working to answer these questions.

At the Women’s Mental Health Center, we strive to address some of the most glaring omissions in our understanding of women’s mental health. We work collaboratively with researchers across the country and around the world. Within our research program, we focus on severe mental illness in women, psychotropic medication for women, psychoneuroimmunology in women, and transgenerational psychiatry.

While research takes a long time, we have already started to make a difference. But our job is far from done. We invite you to join our efforts.

Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD
Director, Women’s Mental Health Center
Professor of Psychiatry, and Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai