‘I Felt Like I Was Dying’: How Women with Postpartum Depression Fall Through the Cracks of U.S. Health Care

June 26, 2023

(STAT News) – Navigating a health care system unprepared to support maternal mental health in the time surrounding the birth of a child is, unfortunately, far from a unique experience. About one in seven women suffer from postpartum depression, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and some estimates for the rate of perinatal anxiety are as high as one in two. More rare are conditions like postpartum psychosis, estimated to occur in one to three people out of every 1,000 who give birth.

The cost of untreated perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, during the period from  pregnancy to five years postpartum, is around $32,000 for each mother-child pair affected. Far worse is the toll that perinatal mental-health issues can take on women and their families. Roughly 20% of maternal deaths after childbirth are from suicide, and in rare cases, women without sufficient access to care and support may harm their children as well. (Read More)