Mental Health Awareness Month kicks off with an urgent report on Black maternal mental health

As Mental Health Awareness Month is commemorated each May, this year, experts in the field are sounding the alarm about a leading cause of maternal mortality: maternal mental health. Earlier this year, a study published by JAMA Psychiatry found that 1 in 4 maternal deaths were caused by mental health issues, ranging from suicide to drug overdoses. This rate, according to CNN, is double the rate of maternal deaths caused by postpartum hemorrhage, the second leading cause. “The contribution of mental health conditions to the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis that we have in America is not widely recognized,” Dr. Katherine Wisner, associate chief of perinatal mental health at Children’s National Hospital and co-author of the evidence review, said in a news release, per CNN. “We need to bring this to the attention of the public and policymakers to demand action to address the mental health crisis that is contributing to the demise of mothers in America.” The review, which looked at 30 recent studies and 15 historical references, found that women are at a higher risk for new mental health conditions during pregnancy and immediately following giving birth. A report cited in the review indicated that 14.5% experience an...