Executive summary: Workshop on maternal mental health
Date postedApril 9, 2024
Up to 1 in 5 childbearing people experience mental health conditions as a complication of pregnancy.1,2 Mental health conditions, including suicide and overdose, are the leading causes of death in the first postpartum year and are 100% preventable.3 Most people who experience perinatal mental health conditions do not get the care they need, which negatively affects their own health and the wellness of their partner, fetus, child, and family.4 In the United States, the cost of not treating these conditions is $14.2 billion. 5 Gaps in mental health screening and treatment access disproportionately affect historically marginalized people, those who live in low-income neighborhoods, and those who lack access to maternity care.