We actually know how to help mothers with postpartum depression
The high-profile trial of Lindsay Clancy has sparked a national conversation about the systemic neglect of maternal mental health in the United States. Experts suggest that peer support from other mothers is a highly effective strategy for managing postpartum depression.
Why it matters
It addresses the critical need for better mental health infrastructure for new mothers and highlights evidence-based interventions for postpartum depression.
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The trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children, is laden with painful what-ifs: What if she had more support? What if she had more people to confide in? Could all of this suffering have been avoided?
Those are urgent questions, whatever the outcome of this particular case, because millions of women experience postpartum depression. Severe postpartum psychosis may be extremely rare, but every year at least 1 in 8 women who give birth in the US experience some depression symptoms — and that is likely an undercount.
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