Durbin Announces Legislation to Help Identify and Treat Postpartum Depression

[DOWNERS GROVE, IL] - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced he will introduce legislation in the Senate days before Mother's Day that is designed to ensure new moms and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms, and provided with essential services.

The Mom's Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, or MOTHERS Act — which is cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)—will help new moms by providing important education and screening on postpartum depression that can lead to early identification and treatment as well as expanding important research to improve and discover new treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers.

Durbin made the announcement at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital during a meeting with two local moms who shared their personal stories about how suffering from postpartum depression affected them and their families.

"Postpartum depression is such a tragic mental illness," Durbin said. "During what should be one of the happiest times in a woman's life, postpartum depression can pull the rug out from under a new family. New moms may be unwilling or unable to admit to themselves that they are experiencing the symptoms of postpartum depression, let alone tell their families and seek treatment. This legislation will help the many women who suffer from postpartum depression by making sure the right screenings take place and the right services are provided."

Each year, more than half of women who have recently given birth suffer from postpartum mood changes. Postpartum mood and anxiety disorders impair 10 to 20 percent of new mothers, and postpartum psychosis strikes 1 or 2 in 1,000 women after birth.

A major part of prevention is informing new mothers about the symptoms and providing them with the services that are available in their community. Durbin's legislation includes two grants to help health care providers educate, identify and treat PPD:

# Award grants to states so that local health care providers can educate women who have recently given birth and their families about PPD before the mothers leave the birthing center and offer the opportunity for new mothers to be screened for postpartum depression symptoms during the first year of postnatal check-up visits.

# Award grants to states and local governments, public or non-profit hospitals and community based organizations for the delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum depression and psychosis and their families, including enhanced outpatient and home-based health care, inpatient care and support services.

Since the exact cause of PPD isn't known, research continues to be the key to unlocking the mystery of this condition. This legislation incorporates and is the companion legislation to Congressman Bobby Rush's (D-IL) House bill, the Melanie Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, which would expand and intensify research at the NIH with respect to PPD and psychosis, including increased discovery of treatments, diagnostic tools and educational materials for providers.

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