A Deeper Shade of Blue

BlogHer, Postpartum Support International (PSI), and Postpartum Progress are joining forces and asking that you take action to help the MOTHERS Act advance to the Senate floor with the support of as many Senators as possible.

What is the MOTHERS Act?

The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, or MOTHERS Act (S. 3529), will ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services. In addition, it will increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression. The legislation is sponsored by U.S. Senators Robert Menendez, D-N.J., and Richard Durbin D-Ill.

Specifically, the MOTHERS Act will help new mothers by:

Providing important education and screening on postpartum depression (PPD) that can lead to early identification and treatment. The legislation includes two grants to help better educate healthcare providers to identify and treat PPD.

Expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for PPD. Since the exact cause of PPD isn’t known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition.

What can you do?

Most Senators rarely hear from mothers (and others!), and phone calls from you, your family members, and your friends will cause them to take notice of this important issue.

If you would like to see this legislation passed,call your Senators today to voice your support for the MOTHERS Act. Writing or sending emails has much less impact. Postpartum Support International has a list of Senators’ phone numbers and a suggested script for those of us who are not quite sure what to say. If your Senator is already a co-sponsor of the bill, PSI recommends that you call anyway to express your thanks. With your support, the MOTHERS Act can become a reality.

Why do you have to contact your senator?

All new mothers are at risk for postpartum depression. This is a serious and disabling condition that affects about 15 percent of new mothers. If you do the math, that’s about 800,000 American women each year that suffer from PPD. Yet most of those women never receive any type of treatment or support. And this is a tragedy that we cannot afford.

Because of the central role a mother occupies within the family, her depression may have a significant impact on her children and others who are close to her. One study after another has demonstrated that depression in the mother may lead to a constellation of problems in her child: sleep and feeding problems, developmental delays, and other behavioral problems.