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Maternal Health Initiative

MHI Quarterly Newsletter: Perinatal Mental Health

Letter from the Director

Our fall newsletter is focused on perinatal mental health. September and October mark several awareness dates related to mental health: World Suicide Prevention Day (Sept. 10); Maternal Suicide Awareness Week (Sept. 6-10); World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10); and October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.

While pregnancy and becoming a new parent are often characterized as blissful, in reality, women are more likely to develop anxiety or depression in the year after giving birth than in any other time in their lives. And suicide and overdose are the leading causes of death in the first year postpartum. And yet, the prevention, early recognition and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions is a challenge for health care systems across the world. Sadly, an estimated 75% of women with a perinatal mental health condition will not get the help they need. We know that perinatal mental health care is still not well incorporated into the training of maternity care providers and therefore, health care providers who have contact with women and their families across the life course do not always have the knowledge and skills to adequately support the perinatal health needs of women and birthing people.

Globally, studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already existing mental health crisis. Even prior to the pandemic, an estimated 15-20% of women were found to experience a perinatal mental health condition. The compounded stress for pregnant people during the pandemic cannot be overstated.

In recognition and support, MHI has focused our efforts this fall on maternal mental health. We launched a policy brief addressing current policies and protections for those suffering from a perinatal mental health condition, published several related articles on New Security Beat’s Dot-Mom column, and, in collaboration with UNFPA, hosted a global dialogue on providing care and support for mental health in the perinatal period.

We hope that through education and awareness, open and honest dialogue, and directed policies, we can start to see improvements in the prevention, detection, and treatment of perinatal mental health conditions.

You can find our recent work on perinatal mental health below.

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Event

Perinatal Mental Health

The Wilson Center’s Maternal Health Initiative, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), held a dialogue on perinatal mental health with panelists reflecting on these issues from their own backgrounds as healthcare providers, advocates, researchers, policy makers, and from their lived experience.

Policy Brief

Maternal Health Policy Brief: Perinatal Mental Health

The Maternal Health Initiative's latest policy brief covers the latest statistics and U.S. policies on combatting perinatal mental health disorders. The Taskforce Recommending Improvements for Unaddressed Mental and Perinatal and Postpartum Health (TRIUMPH) for New Moms Act, Moms Matter Act, and Support Trough Loss Act each seek to create a national strategy and infrastructure to address these issues, with an eye toward promoting equity and reducing racial disparities in maternal mental health.

Guest Series on Perinatal Mental Health

Part One

Mental Health Conditions Are the Most Common Complication of Pregnancy and Childbirth

Having a new baby should be the happiest time in a family’s life. But it doesn’t always work out that way. During pregnancy or the first year following pregnancy, 1 in 5 women or childbearing people will experience anxiety or depression. In fact, mental health issues are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, turning joy into sadness, loneliness, confusion, regret, and guilt.

Part Two

Mental Health Conditions: U.S. Policies and Practice to Address the Most Common Complication of Pregnancy and Childbirth

Maternal mental health (MMH) conditions are the most common complication of pregnancy and childbirth, affecting 1 in 5 women or childbearing individuals (800,000 U.S. families each year). Recent studies show that suicide and overdose combined are the leading cause of death for mothers in the first year postpartum, contributing to the distressingly high maternal mortality rate in the United States.

Related work on Mental Health and Pregnancy Loss

Maternal Mental Health Technical Consultation

Respectful Maternity Care and Maternal Mental Health are Inextricably Linked

A positive birth experience is not a luxury, but a necessity, said Hedieh Mehrtash, consultant for the Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization (WHO), at a panel during the Maternal Mental Health Technical Consultation hosted by the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) MOMENTUM Country and Global Leadership, in collaboration with WHO and the United Nations Population Fund.

Miscarriage

Misconceptions on Miscarriage – The Dangers of Cultural Silence

In the United States, approximately 10 to 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But this doesn’t capture the full picture. In reality, studies show that as many as half of all pregnancies may end in miscarriage, with the vast majority occurring before people realize they are pregnant. A miscarriage is defined as pregnancy loss before 20 weeks gestation. While some health conditions such as autoimmune disorders, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and diabetes can exacerbate the risk of having a miscarriage, the exact causes of pregnancy loss are largely unknown.

Fall 2021 Team

Sarah B. Barnes, Project Director

Deekshita Ramanarayanan, Program Coordinator

Shariq Farooqi, Claire Hubley, and Chanel Lee, Program Interns

Check out more from MHI at the Dot-Mom Column on New Security Beat

One Woodrow Wilson Plaza
1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20004-3027

Phone: (202) 691-4000

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