Women’s Issues

I can’t believe ten years have flown by since (in my role as director of the PPD Alliance of IL) I first approached the Illinois Governor’s office to ask that May be proclaimed Postpartum Depression Awareness Month in Illinois. Back then the governor was Rod Blagojevich. Luckily for us he agreed and a lot of red tape later the Postpartum Depression Alliance of Illinois received the first proclamation. With it’s seal and beautiful calligraphy it is a pretty impressive document.

Every year I go back to the Governor’s office and they renew the proclamation. For the past few years it has been Governor Quinn that has lent his support to our mission to promote awareness, prevention and treatment of maternal mental health issues throughout the state of Illinois.

This year Governor Quinn stated “I am proud to declare May as Postpartum Mood Disorders Awareness Month in Illinois. By increasing public awareness of these mood disorders, we can identify women who will benefit from treatment, saving them from unnecessary distress and suffering.”

Jackie Pilossoph from the Northbrook Star wrote a lovely article this week about the Alliance, the work we do and about the 10 year anniversary of May being proclaimed  Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month. Please click the link below to read it.

http://northbrook.suntimes.com/news/postpartum-NBS-05152014:article

May Named Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month

 

Looking back across the last decade, we have seen an increase in awareness and resources across the state. Most hospitals give information about postpartum mood disorders to women as they leave the maternity wards and we have more support groups and professionals trained in screening and treating postpartum depression. There has also been research that shows that pregnancy anxiety and depression are almost as common as postpartum mood disorders and we are helping professionals and women be aware of this too which is why it is now called Perinatal Mood Disorders  (PPMD) Awareness Month – perinatal means both the pregnancy and postpartum period.

The PPD Alliance of Illinois has also grown over the past ten years and we now have both a helpline and a website. I have been joined by five wonderful volunteers – Leanne McNett Beyer, Venessa Nickel, Emily Robb and  Lita Simanis (shown above) and Lara Vazquez who provide email and telephone support to women seeking reassurance and resources within Illinois.

Despite these advances,  many women with PPMD are still not detected by health care professionals and go without treatment and we are committed to carrying on our work to help women and their families to get the support and treatment they need.

We really want women to know that they are not alone and with help, they can feel well again.

To download a free Guide to Pregnancy & Postpartum Stress, Anxiety & Depression visit www.drsarahallen.com/pregnancy-postpartum.

For more information on pregnancy and postpartum mood disorders and to find support and resources in Illinois please visit www.ppdil.org or call our information line 847 205-4455.

or if you would like to contact me personally, please complete the form below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years since we at the PPD Alliance of Illinois first worked with an Illinois Governor to proclaim May as Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month. We choose May as it is home to Mother’s Day, and the Alliance’s mission is to educate mamas and their families and friends about the nature of this illness.

Approximately 15% of pregnant women and 15% – 20% of new mothers experience major or minor depression in the first year after giving birth. Methodological differences among the studies make the actual prevalence rate unclear. Also, this are statistics from women reporting how they feel, the actual number is probably much higher.

The proclamation started as Postpartum Depression Awareness Month but over the past few years there has been more recognition that mood disorders cover a wide spectrum, including pregnancy depression and anxiety, postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder and postpartum psychosis. We now use the term perinatal as that covers both pregnancy and postpartum up to a year after childbirth.

Symptoms differ for everyone but may include:

•Many worries and panic attacks
•Feelings of sadness, fear, anger and guilt
•Possible thoughts of harming the baby or oneself
•Lack of interest in the baby
•Appetite & Sleep Disturbance
•Difficulty concentrating and making decisions

Since the first proclamation in 2004 we have seen more research and much more recognition of amongst hospitals and healthcare professionals about the symptoms of perinatal mood disorders and also the need for screening new moms for depression symptoms. More information is given to new moms when they leave hospital and we have more support groups and professionals trained to help women.

Despite these advances and the prevalence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, symptoms are still vastly under-detected by health care professionals and many women go without treatment. As I said earlier, we know now that many more pregnant women than we used to think experience anxiety and depression, but they often go undetected as professionals don’t know to ask about pregnancy emotional health. Women without medical insurance mental health benefits and those with lower economic status are also hugely under served. Lastly, we are still battling the stigma associated with maternal anxiety and depression.

Please share this post with everyone you know across Illinois to help us get more awareness so more women and their families reach out for help.

We really want women to know that they are not alone and with help, they can feel well again.

For more information on pregnancy and postpartum mood disorders and to find support and resources in Illinois please visit www.ppdil.org or call our information line 847 205-4455.

To download a free Guide to Pregnancy & Postpartum Stress, Anxiety & Depression visit www.drsarahallen.com/pregnancy-postpartum.

Original Image by Dino Olivieri