Blog

It’s estimated that one in nine women will deal with postpartum depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Chrissy Teigen is not the only star to have learned she had the condition: it can really happen to anyone—famous women included. While postpartum depression is a highly-personal experience and not everyone is comfortable speaking out about it, these strong mamas chose to share their stories—and we can all learn something from them. [For more of this story,...

Postpartum depression is recognized and understood today more than ever before, thanks to advances in research and public awareness campaigns. While the stigma around the disorder isn’t entirely gone, many new moms who might have once suffered in silence are reaching out for help—and speaking out about their experiences. But women aren't the only group that can be affected by postpartum depression: New dads can struggle with it too. Fathers don’t suffer from depression in the same way, or at...

Yolo County's progressive and collaborative nature once again allows for critical issues to be addressed and proposed for funding. Proud to be in Yolo and thanks to our Yolo County MHSA team and stakeholders for lifting up trauma informed care and Perinatal Mental Health as training needs! While the 3 year budget has not been approved, we are thrilled that these two topics have made it into the proposal under WET funds (Workforce, Education & Training!). As a stakeholder, you have a...

Importance of universal screening! The worst kept secret for some women because they are filled with shame or simply don't know things can and will be better! For some it's the shame they're afraid of.....this Harvard study explains why it should not be a secret. Time to get it out in the open. Sometimes just asking a mom gives permission to talk! http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/postpartum-depression-worst-kept-secret-2017020811008

This is a fascinating Ted Talk on sexuality for pregnant and postpartum women. Makes you think about one more type of loss that women may experience when they transform into a mother. Loss isn't always bad and is sometimes a necessity even to grow, but not acknowledging loss can contribute to mental health issues for women in all stages of their life. https://www.ted.com/talks/sofia_jawed_wessel_the_lies_we_tell_pregnant_women

Pregnant women in South Africa who live in poor communities are more likely to consider or attempt suicide than the general population. That’s a key finding from a recent study we undertook at Hanover Park. The research found 12% of pregnant women living in low-resource communities had thought of killing themselves during the previous month. In the same period, an additional 6% of pregnant women reported they had started to enact a suicide plan or attempted to end their lives. Rates of...

This is an interesting article about the impact of maternal depression children's neural empathic response to others' distress http://www.news-medical.net/news/20170103/Early-exposure-to-maternal-depression-impacts-childrens-neural-empathic-response-to-others-distress.aspx

Every Wednesday, after my husband left for work, Everest and I headed out for a movie date. “Wild” was a favorite, as were “If I Stay” and “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” because those were quiet, character-driven stories. Everest didn’t much care what was on the screen: He was only 3 months old when we started going to the weekly parent movie mornings at our local theater. These were screenings of new releases that catered to parents with babies – the lights in the theater were turned up, the...

Over 400,000 women in the U.S. suffer from postpartum depression each year. Yet only an estimated 15 percent of those mothers receive treatment, and countless women who have suffered from PPD report feeling deeply alone in their struggles. But the federal government is offering families a glimmer of hope for the future of maternal mental health in the U.S. On Nov. 30, Rep. Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.) announced that her maternal mental health legislation, the Bringing Postpartum Depression...

Intimate partner violence, substance use and mental illness may be as threatening to health and survival during pregnancy as medical issues, according to a new study. In the study, researchers from the Boston University Medical Center note that mortality rates for pregnant women are increasing in the U.S. Many are due to medical causes thought to be directly related to pregnancy, such as hemorrhage, thromboembolism and hypertensive disease. Although substance use, serious mental illness and...

People frequently consider going to therapy before they make a major life transition, such as getting married or changing careers. But what about when embarking on a monumental shift such as parenthood? Women, who are advised to exercise and watch what they eat while they are pregnant, don’t always think of psychotherapy as an important part of their prenatal care regimen, but it can be critical to the well-being of mother and baby, both during and after pregnancy. For many people, pregnancy...

Depression in pregnancy increases the risk of behavioural and emotional problems in children, says a new review published in The Lancet Psychiatry. The authors of the review, which focused mainly on low and middle income countries, call for urgent interventions for mothers and children. Depression in pregnancy is thought to affect up to one in five women globally in the late stages of pregnancy and shortly after birth. It is characterised by low mood and feelings of hopelessness, and is...