The Struggles of New Moms Seeking Mental Health Care in America

Jackie Ohmer, a new mom from Ohio, had to drive 9 hours and cross three state lines to get the specialized care she needed to treat deepening depression and intensifying suicidal urges.

She had given birth only a few months earlier. And, in that short time, she plunged into despair, bouncing between ER visits and outpatient appointments amid several suicide attempts.

Anna Mutoh wrote about Jackie in a The Wall Street Journal The Wall Street Journal article last August titled “The Tragedy of Being a New Mom in America.” Jackie also told her story on “The Journal” podcast a month later.

When she first reported her symptoms, Jackie didn’t think her OB/GYN or her primary care provider took her seriously. They tried consoling her and falsely told her that all expecting moms feel anxious and experience the blues.

Eventually, her spiraling symptoms led to thoughts of wanting to hurt her baby, Owen. That’s when her OB/GYN finally suggested she get specialized help and go to the ER.

After a brief encounter and running some blood tests, the ER doctor told her to go back home and set up an appointment with the OB/GYN who sent her there in the first place. Her symptoms still weren’t considered serious enough.

Jackie’s experience is more common than we would like to imagine.

The maternal mortality rate in the US is 16x higher than that of Norway even though our country spends 30% more per capita on healthcare every year.

Mental health-related deaths, including suicides and drug overdoses, have become the US’ leading cause of maternal mortality.

“What stood out to me the most was the pain and sheer frustration of not being able to get help despite trying,” said Mutoh about her year studying the maternal mental health crisis.

She observed that our healthcare system is so fractured that no one professional takes charge of maternal mental health concerns.

Moreover, new moms often don’t seek help because they don’t want to be seen as unfit. Some are scared that reporting distressing thoughts will lead to the removal of their children.

Today, let’s celebrate Mother’s Day. It happens to falls on the second Sunday of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Tomorrow, let’s redouble our efforts to better support the mental health of new and expecting moms.