The Top Maternal Mental Health Articles of 2023
2023 has seen a groundswell of recognition among mainstream media about the importance of addressing maternal mental health with outstanding, full-length (sometimes front page!), well-researched articles. Below are our favorite articles, starting with the most recently published.
In addition, CBS News Sunday Morning featured an excellent overview of postpartum depression, including interviews with Dr. Kristina Deligiannidis of Northwell Health and Joy Burkhard, Executive Director of the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health. You can watch the special feature here.
The Washington Post
In the Mystery of Postpartum Depression, The Immune System Offers Clues
By Richard Sima – December 6, 2023
“Motherhood causes such dramatic remodeling of the brain that now many researchers consider it to be ‘like another critical period of brain development.’ Emerging research indicates that the immune system and inflammation may play a much larger role than previously known.”
Women’s Health
Postpartum Depression Might Feel Like It Will Last Forever, But New Treatments Are Here To Help
By Cassie Shortsleeve – November 2, 2023
This terrific, wide-ranging article lays out the range of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, covers the recent history of the field of perinatal mental health, identifies treatment options, and encourages advocacy and education.
Vogue
Why Does No One Talk About Long-Term Postpartum Depression?
By Liz Hammond – October 26, 2023
“This is the most vulnerable time in any woman’s life to develop depression and anxiety. There are huge hormonal shifts going on, there is sleep deprivation and pressure to breastfeed. I also struggled with adjusting to my husband’s paternity leave ending, finding childcare, and achieving the ever-elusive work/life balance.”
The Washington Post
A Fix to the Mental Health Crisis is Hiding in Plain Sight
By Kate Woodsome – September 6, 2023
“If we wanted to do just one thing to help improve our culture’s mental health, we would do everything we can to support new mothers.”
The Washington Post
What New Parents Need to Know About Groundbreaking Postpartum Treatment
By Emmanuel Felton – August 5, 2023
This article focuses specifically on postpartum depression (PPD) and two new drugs, brexanolone and zuranolone, which are the first-ever therapeutics designed specifically to treat postpartum depression.
The Wall Street Journal
The Tragedy of Being a New Mother in America
By Anna Mutoh – August 3, 2023
“Last September, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said mental-health disorders have become the leading cause of maternal death, contributing to nearly one in four pregnancy-related deaths. These include deaths due to suicide and drug overdose during pregnancy or within a year after birth.”
Los Angeles Times
New Moms Shouldn’t Have to Suffer in Silence
By Hannah Fry – July 18, 2023
New mother and reporter, Hannah Fry, talks about her experience, provides information about the intense hormonal changes that impact pregnant and postpartum people, identifies barriers to accessing care, and lays out some tips for new mothers so they do not suffer in silence.
CNN
We Don’t Talk Enough About the Single Most Common Complication of Pregnancy
By Aimee Danielson, Ph.D. – July 14, 2023
“Nationwide, there is one intensive perinatal mental health treatment program for every 21,000 women with a disorder. To visualize what that means, imagine Capital One Arena filled to capacity with sick mothers, all waiting for access to one treatment program—with hundreds more lined up outside. Intensive perinatal mental health programs address these gaps in services and confer a range of benefits, to both mother and baby, over traditional inpatient or outpatient care.”
The New York Times
Life in the Throes of Postpartum Depression
By Catherine Pearson – June 27, 2023
Read about four new mothers and their postpartum experiences: Allie, who has a history of anxiety and depression; Carrie, who suffered secondary infertility prior to becoming pregnant with her daughter, Lily; Janelle, who sought treatment at a partial hospitalization program; and Shivani, who struggled with physical issues, including breastfeeding, a urinary tract infection, and uterine prolapse.
The New Yorker
What We Still Don’t Understand About Postpartum Psychosis
By Jessica Winter – March 14, 2023
This feature article, written shortly after a Massachusetts mother attempted suicide after taking the lives of her three children, provides excellent information about postpartum psychosis—the most serious of all maternal mental health conditions, impacting 1-2 women per 1,000 births.
Counseling Today
The Maternal Mental Health of Black Women
By Lisa Rhodes – March 2, 2023
This feature article highlights disparities, interpersonal factors, the intersection of general health and mental health, the need for education and change, and the impact of the Dobbs decision on Black women’s mental and physical health.
