California and Los Angeles County declare
MAY,
Perinatal Depression Awareness Month
Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force
and
LA Best Babies Network
applaud Resolution
The Los Angeles County Perinatal Mental Health Task Force is delighted by the passage of California’s statewide, Assembly Concurrent Resolution 105, designating May, each year, as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month.
ACR 105 seeks to increase awareness and education, encourage the use of depression screening tools, and to improve the availability of effective treatment and support services, that promote maternal mental health.
Authored by Assemblymember Pedro Nava, and co-authored by 21 Assembly Members and 6 State Senators, ACR 105 is sponsored by the Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee. Its passage represents a long-term collaborative effort of the Junior Leagues SPAC and the Task Force and its members, including LA Best Babies Network, the Los Angeles County Departments of Public Health and Mental Health and other stakeholders.
The L.A. County Board of Supervisors has unanimously proclaimed May Perinatal Depression Awareness Month throughout the County, making it the first county in the state to do so.
ACR 105 states that maternal depression “is often…stigmatized, because expectant and new mothers are expected to be happy, and [those] who suffer from…these disorders feel confused, ashamed, and isolated.’’
Kimberly Wong, the Task Force’s founder and chair created the Task Force so that L.A. County could collaboratively advocate on behalf of women with maternal depression.
“As a survivor of severe postpartum depression, I know firsthand what it’s like to experience each day and night as a cruel eternity," said Wong. "A week after my daughter’s birth, I found myself unable to eat, sleep, or even follow my own thoughts to completion. I realized this was something very serious, although I didn’t know it had a name. With the help of therapy, support groups and medication, I not only survived, but am thriving. Pregnant women and new moms should not blame themselves, nor suffer in silence.”
As part of its efforts to raise awareness and increase access to mental health resources, the Task Force is spearheading a pilot program with the Maternal Depression Systems Improvement Project, at Magnolia Place Community Center. The program is designed to increase the availability of timely, affordable perinatal depression resources and treatment for low-income and immigrant women by providing training, technical assistance and consultation to a range of providers, thus increasing recognition, screening, and referral rates. The ultimate goal is to expand the pilot to the rest of the County.
The Task Force and the Junior Leagues have also launched the bilingual public awareness campaign: Speak Up When You’re Down—Cuando Esté Deprimida, Dígalo, urging women suffering from maternal depression to ask for help.
Perinatal or maternal depression (clinically known as perinatal mood and anxiety disorders), strikes as many as 1 in 4 women in the U.S., from pregnancy up to the child’s first year, and can take different forms, including depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and psychosis.
Although one of the most common complications of childbirth and pregnancy, and despite the availability of simple, highly effective screening tools, maternal depression often goes undetected. In L.A. County, 35% of women who participated in the Los Angeles Mommy and Baby Survey Project reported having depressive symptoms, yet only 3% were diagnosed with a mental health condition.
LA Best Babies Network's Healthy Births Care Quality Collaborative has made screening for maternal depression a priority, and has dramatically increased screening within its clinics to rates above 80%.
Left untreated, maternal depression can have devastating consequences for women and children, including:
- Making a woman less likely to make and keep medical appointments.
- Making it harder for her to bond with her baby.
- Increasing her risk for self-injury and suicide.
- Increasing the risk of low-birthweight and premature delivery.
- Impairing the lifelong physical and emotional health of the child.
“The Task Force welcomes the support and recognition ACR 105 brings to a serious public health issue that has been too long in the shadows,” said Wong. “The first step to resolving it is raising awareness among women, their families, healthcare providers, community support services, and those who create healthcare policy. No life should ever be lost or permanently damaged as a result of untreated postpartum depression.”
Read the Resolution ACR 105
LA Best Babies Network’s landscape report on maternal depression in L.A. County
Download the Poster: Speak Up When You're Down—Cuando Esté Deprimida Dígalo
Download the Brochure: Speak Up When You're Down—Cuando Esté Deprimida Dígalo
E-mail us at contact@labestbabies.org if you would like printed copies of the"Speak Up When You're Down" poster or brochure for your organization.
LInks and Resources on Perinatal Depression
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About the Los Angeles Perinatal Mental Health Task Force
A Project of Community Partners, the Task Force is a volunteer-based, public/private partnership that focuses on maternal mental health and healthy infant and child attachment. Task Force partners include LA Best Babies Network; L.A. County Department of Public Health, Maternal Child Adolescent Health Division; Project ABC; First 5 LA; LAUSD School Mental Health Services; Postpartum Support International; PHFE-WIC; and many others.
About LA Best Babies Network
The Network links more than 100 organizations dedicated to improving the health of newborns and their families by helping to ensure that high-quality perinatal care and social support is available to all families throughout L.A. County.
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