Maternal Mental Health Month

May is Maternal Mental Health month. ​​According to leading institutions on maternal mental health, Seleni Institute, Postpartum Support International, and The Postpartum Stress Center:

*Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (a.k.a. PMADs), are one of the most common medical complications related to child-bearing, affecting roughly 1 in 5 new mothers (w/ much higher rates in low income communities.)

*Suicide is 1 of 3 leading causes of maternal death (along with gestational diabetes and preeclampsia) conditions that are routinely checked for, diagnosed, and treated. However, PMADs are widely unrecognized and under-diagnosed due to lack of public awareness or routine screenings, as well as deep-rooted stigmas around mental illness.

Singer, songwriter, and mother of 3 Alanis Morissette has become a pop culture spokesperson for PMAD survivors. She shares, “When I was in the thick of it, some people would say, ‘Oh, she just needs to go for a walk. Or, ‘She just needs some sleep! But news flash: It’s so multilayered. It’s biochemical, it’s neurochemical, it’s circumstantial, it’s environmental. It’s not just one thing, it's not a quick fix."

Thankfully, after therapy, medication, and sublimating her suffering into her creative work and producing two subsequent albums, Morrissette shares, “I feel like I have myself back,” she said. “I didn’t have access to her for so long."

#arttherapyheals #NoParentAlone #IGotBetter #LiveintheLight #PMADs #Postpartum #Pregnancy #PostpartumDepression #PostpartumAnxiety #PostpartumPsychosis #PostpartumPTSD #PostpartumOCD #Moms #NewMoms #Motherhood #MaternalMentalHealth #MaternalMentalHealthMatters

Art by Paula Kuka of Common Wild

​Post by Sharon Itkoff Nacache