Women’s Health – Topic of Rocky Mtn Lab’s Next Public Lecture

The Rocky Mountain Laboratory is continuing an effort to elevate the discussion of mental health and wellness in the Bitterroot Valley. They recently had a public lecture on suicide and are now turning to women's health. "Is This Normal? Navigating the Lifetime Changes from Puberty Through Menopause" is the topic of Dr. Pedro Martinez of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Martinez will be in Hamilton April 25, for a 7 p.m. talk at the Hamilton High School Performing Arts Center. He plans to discuss "normal" changes that occur due to hormones affecting women's health and the times when things tend to go wrong - depression, post-partum mood disorders and related problems. He will give examples of actual disorders and causes, symptoms and treatments. Dr. Martinez is medical director of the NIMH reproductive psychiatry clinic.

Following his talk, Rachael Watters of Hamilton, a member of MOMedy, will change the mood with a short "tragicomedy" on motherhood - designed for an adult audience. The evening was planned partly from a Montana State University extension study that showed a need for more mental health awareness. A large crowd attended the first part of the series in January from Dr. Maryland Pao of NIMH, and comments from that speech led to this topic. A future presentation on post-traumatic stress disorder is planned for May this year. The Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton are part of the National Institute of of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. The lecture series is free to the public.