Maternal Mental Health Week: Why are We Dieing? What Can Be Done?

July is minority mental health month and one week within this month is dedicated to maternal mental health.  Why you might ask?  The statistics are grim for African American women seeking help for maternal mental health issues such as postpartum anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum PTSD, etc.  There are several reasons for this and many have been discussed.  Some of those are the stigma surrounding mental health, the lack of BIPOC mental health providers that specialize in this area, and lastly the lack of awareness of these disorders and their impact on families.

 Awareness and education are necessary because African American women are dying in large numbers in pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.  Black women are three to four times more likely to die than white women.   A large percentage of these deaths are due to systemic racism where Black women’s concerns are dismissed.  In the last few months, we have had two mothers die, Amber Rose Isaac and Sha-asia Washington (https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/calls-change-26-year-black-woman-dies-childbirth-71698417).  Both women died during emergency C-sections.  This should not be happening in the richest country in the world with the most advanced medical resources.  These outcomes foster mental health challenges such as anxiety in pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum stage.  The question becomes what can be done?  There are two things I believe that can be done to help.

1.        Education and Awareness.  The more maternal mental health and mortality rates are discussed, the more information is generated.  African American women need to know symptoms to look out for that can cause issues during pregnancy such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, miscarriage, heart conditions, and preterm birth.  African American women also need to be aware of mental health challenges that can come during pregnancy and the postpartum period such as postpartum depression, anxiety, postpartum PTSD, psychosis.  Along with education, resources need to be readily available should these concerns arise.

2.       Choosing Providers Wisely.  This may not always be an option for some women because options may be limited.  However, if a woman feels that a provider is not listening or dismissive of their concerns, then alternative options are needed.  This may mean bringing additional people to the doctor’s visits (i.e., family member or friend) or choosing a doctor that is more attuned to their care and concern.  It could also mean choosing a midwife to deliver, the use of a birth doula, or the combination of a midwife and doctor.

What is crystal clear is that change is needed and it is needed now!