Working with Policy Makers to Address Maternal Mental Health Conditions
Maternal mental health challenges are temporary and treatable. Resources are available.
Now more than ever we need to support mothers.
As our country faces unprecedented stress and anxiety from the twin pandemics of coronavirus and racism, we remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for the mental health and well-being of all mothers and mothers-to-be in the United States.
Mothers have borne an extraordinary physical, emotional, and mental load during the months of quarantine: managing jobs; caring for family; keeping the household running with cooking, cleaning, shopping; maintaining schedules; home-schooling and entertaining children; checking on neighbors and the elderly.
COVID-19 has opened a Pandora’s box of worry for pregnant women, who have unanswered questions about how the coronavirus will impact them, their pregnancies, and their newborn infants.
Women of color and women living in poverty are disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, mental health conditions, and maternal morbidity and mortality.
Black mothers worry every day that their children might die simply because of the color of their skin.
In the face of these challenges, we renew our commitment
to advocate for, support, and lift up mothers in our country,
regardless of race, ethnicity, income, or zip code.

1 in 5 women will experience a
MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION or
SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER
during pregnancy or postpartum
75% of women who screen at-risk
for postpartum depression
RECEIVE NO TREATMENT
The cost of NOT TREATING
maternal mental health conditions is
$32,000 per mother-infant pair
totaling $14.2 billion nationally
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MMHLA uses the terms woman, mother, maternal, she, her when referring to individuals who are pregnant or who give birth.
As gender-neutral language continues to evolve in the scientific and medical communities,
MMHLA will reassess this usage and make appropriate adjustments as necessary.
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