May is Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month. The AAMC is committed to working with member institutions and other collaborators to highlight and educate around the successes and challenges in improving maternal mental health outcomes through clinical interventions and care models. Each Monday our team will share relevant resources, and we hope you will share your own institutions' experiences and resources.
Perinatal mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, are the most common pregnancy complications and are the leading causes of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States. These challenges remain under-diagnosed and under-treated.
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1 in 5 women experience a mental health issue during pregnancy
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Less than 15% receive treatment
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20% of deaths in the postpartum period are due to and overdose
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38% of birthing persons reported mental health as the top postnatal complication
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75% of women experiencing maternal mental health conditions are left untreated and undiagnosed
The AAMC has compiled a number of resources for both individuals and institutions to support better approaches and policies for maternal mental health care, including research briefs, best practices, data from the AAMC Center for Health Justice, and resources from other organizations and collaborators. View these resources.
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Nailah Russell
Program Specialist
Association of American Medical Colleges
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