MONDAY, Feb. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Data from dozens of studies support the idea that mental health crises are a significant factor driving increased maternal mortality rates during and around pregnancy in the USA.
“We must bring this to the attention of the public and policymakers to demand action to address the mental health crisis that is contributing to the disappearance of mothers in America,” said Dr. Katherine Wisner, who led the review. She is the deputy chief of perinatal mental health at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC.
“The maternal mortality rate in the United States is 2 to 3 times higher than that of other high-income countries,” her team noted in the study published February 21 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
Could mental health issues play a role in many of these tragedies?
To find out, Wisner and his colleagues looked at data from 30 recent studies and 15 historical references.
They found that:
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Mental health risks increase during pregnancy. The period during and around a pregnancy is “associated with a high risk of onset or relapse of maternal psychiatric disorders,” the researchers reported. For example, 14.5% of pregnant women develop depression during pregnancy, and 14.5% struggle with the illness in the three months after giving birth.
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Many pregnant women are at risk of suicide or opioid overdose. Data showed that suicide or opioid overdose together account for almost a quarter (23%) of maternal deaths occurring in the year following pregnancy.
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Women often live in “maternity care deserts.” Finding help to cope with the mental and physical stressors of pregnancy is becoming increasingly difficult: Wisner’s team found that “across the country, more than 400 maternity services closed between 2006 and 2020, which left nearly 6 million people with no or limited access to maternity care.”
All of the above factors suggest that the majority of maternal deaths in the United States are preventable – including approximately one in four deaths attributed to mental health issues.
However, in a hospital press release, Wisner noted that only 20 percent of new mothers in America are screened for postpartum depression.
“Given this is a time when many mothers are in contact with healthcare professionals, it is extremely important that all mothers are screened and offered treatment,” she said. “Mental health is fundamental to the health of the mother, child and the entire family.”
More information
Learn more about the signs and treatment of postpartum depression at Office on Women’s Health of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
SOURCES: National Children’s Hospital, press release, February 21, 2024, JAMA PediatricsFebruary 21, 2024
