-
Confronting Racial Inequalities in Maternal Mental Health in Indigenous Women
It is well known that Indigenous populations such as Native Americans (N.A.) often have limited access to healthcare and suffer from health disparities and inequities in care. This is especially true of N.A. women suffering from maternal mental health issues such as postpartum depression (PPD)...
-
NYSPA Report – Biomarkers for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders: A Way to Reduce Stigma
The numbers are so depressing. The United States has the worst maternal mortality of any developed country, with a racial disparity that is shocking.[1] Mental health conditions are one of the leading causes of pregnancy-related death – in some places, THE leading cause.[2] We do a dismal job of...
-
From Silence to Support: Changing the Story on Maternal Mental Health
When I became a mother, I was prepared for a momentous life change. What I did not anticipate was the impact that pregnancy and postpartum could have on my mental health, in addition to my physical recovery. After giving birth to my first daughter, I dismissed my stress and sensitivity as the...
-
Confronting Mental Health Stigma in Maternal Care
Mental health stigma—those persistent negative attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes about mental illness—remains a powerful barrier to care. When these perceptions translate into actions in our society, they become discrimination, and this limits opportunities for healing. Even though mental...
-
Trapped by Tradition: The Anxiety of Being a ‘Good’ South Asian Daughter-in-Law
In South Asian societies—including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal—the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship is often portrayed as a cornerstone of family life. While cultural narratives admire harmony and respect within the family system, the reality is often more...
-
Black Women and Suicide: The Silent Crisis and Its Aftermath on Families
Suicide among Black women is a heartbreaking and complex issue that has often been overlooked in public health discussions. Despite the cultural narratives of strength and resilience surrounding Black women, they face mental health challenges that are deeply rooted in historical and social...
-
Overdose Deaths Increased in Pregnant and Postpartum Women From Early 2018 to Late 2021
Drug overdose deaths rose markedly between January to June 2018 and July to December 2021 among 10- to 44-year-old girls and women who were pregnant or pregnant within the previous 12 months, according to a new study by researchers at National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National...
-
Point of View – The Vulnerability of Women with Serious Mental Illness: Time for Action
Women with serious and persistent mental illnesses often have hard lives. They usually have experienced significant trauma during their childhoods. They are far more likely than those without mental illness to be homeless at one time or another, and life outdoors takes a toll on the body and the...
-
What Gets in the Way: Latinas Who Don’t Access or Stay in Treatment
As social workers in urban settings, we often hear about the traumas our female clients endure. These include experiencing or witnessing: sexual assaults, parental abuse/neglect, domestic violence, child fatalities, and life-threatening illnesses/injuries (Gaillot 2010). Women are more likely to...
-
The Mom of a Mentally Ill Child Needs Understanding
Being the mother of a child with mental illness is a grueling job. First, being female doesn’t help. Besides usually being the primary caretaker of the child, being female in our culture can mean being taken less seriously. There’s also an assumption, rarely directly expressed, that a mom...
