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Postpartum Depression
The Maternal Mental Health Crisis
5 facts you need to know.
Posted May 26, 2023 Reviewed by Tyler Woods
May is World Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month, and it’s a great time to debunk myths and replace them with facts about maternal mental health. Postpartum depression, postnatal PTSD, postpartum anxiety, and other maternal mental health issues are more than just fleeting challenges. They can radically change—and even destroy—a life. Beneath the slogans and walks and ribbons is a lot of suffering. And maternal mental health issues are highly treatable, making this suffering unnecessary.
Many women suffer in silence. They face judgment from loved ones, inadequate care from providers, and symptoms that last for years. It doesn’t have to be this way, but changing the world of maternal mental health begins with a little knowledge.
There’s a Maternal Mental Health Crisis
You might think that technological and medical advances have improved maternity care. The reality is much bleaker. The United States is in the midst of a maternal health crisis. A woman giving birth today is more likely to die than her mother was a generation ago. And one of the leading causes of death is suicide.
Suicide is always preventable with the right resources. But many mothers experience shame, don’t know where to get help, or have inadequate access to mental health care. Even when they do seek help, they may not get the help they need. Social media is littered with harrowing accounts of mothers who were treated like criminals when they sought help, or whose doctors told them symptoms would go away on their own.
They don’t. Pregnancy and postpartum-related mental health issues can linger for years without treatment. And no one should have to suffer from a disease that is treatable.
There’s a Significant Link Between Mental and Physical Health
Postpartum mental health doesn’t just affect women’s emotions. It can also affect their ability to recover from giving birth, to care for themselves in the postpartum period, and to care for their babies. Poor postpartum mental health has even been linked to low breastmilk supply, creating yet another challenge for a struggling mother to manage.
The correlation extends in the other direction, too. Trauma during birth, such as from an emergency surgery or a birth injury, increases the risk of postpartum depression. So women struggling with postpartum depression may also have pre-existing physical health issues, or a difficult birthing process. Trauma during birth also itself increases the risk of postpartum depression.
Social and Environmental Factors Play an Important Role
Popular sources often focus on hormones as the most important cause of postpartum depression. The truth is that postpartum depression is complex, and challenging life circumstances figure prominently. The transition to motherhood and the physical crucible of giving birth are inherently challenging. Women need and deserve support to make it through these obstacles. Too often, they don’t get the support they need. Their partners don’t reassure them. Their community does not offer meaningful support. They have to return to work too quickly. They face financial barriers.
The reality is that many risk factors for postpartum depression—such as financial issues or an unsupportive partner—are also risk factors for care delays or for lack of access to quality treatment. The person most in need of treatment might be someone who never sees a clinician.
Maternal Mental Health Issues are Treatable
Many mothers worry that, if environmental and social factors play such a prominent role in maternal mental health issues, it means they’re untreatable. Others try an antidepressant, get no results, and quickly give up. But postpartum depression, anxiety, and other issues that coincide with pregnancy and the postpartum period can be very responsive to the right treatment.
The key here is that a person may have to try more than one treatment before they hit on the right one. This could mean a different dose of antidepressants, or trying a different antidepressant. It also almost always means therapy in conjunction with medication, because therapy empowers new moms to deal with the stress of motherhood and parenting.
New Moms Need Comprehensive Support
While therapy and medication are cornerstones of treatment, we need meaningful, lasting change for new moms to get the help they deserve. This includes better messaging and more honesty about the challenges of postpartum, so that partners, friends, and family are more likely to step up. Access to mental health care remains critical, and reducing the trauma and danger of birth is equally important.
This is a complex problem, and complex problems demand multifaceted, comprehensive solutions. The issue extends well beyond new mothers because it impacts entire families and communities. This means that families and communities must come together to take responsibility for new mothers, and to develop structural solutions to these preventable issues.
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health after giving birth, don’t delay seeking care. Sometimes you have to ask more than once, and not all medical providers are well-equipped to support women with postpartum mental health struggles. If your doctor or midwife dismisses your concerns, consider reaching out to a mental health professional. Early intervention works, shortens the timeline to recovery, and saves lives.
To find a therapist near you, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.
