Postpartum Depression & Anxiety Resources During COVID-19

For those of you suffering from pregnancy or postpartum depression and/or anxiety, the rapidly unfolding COVID-19 pandemic may not only be exacerbating your symptoms, but also be preventing you from seeking the treatment that you need (and deserve).

Know that we understand and are here for you — being in the throes of a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder is painful and scary even in the most normal of times… and right now, life feels anything but normal. 

See also: Delivering Alone by Emily Oster

Please know that even though we are currently practicing “social distancing” to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, help IS still available to you. Mental health practitioners are working quickly to adapt to this new reality we’re all in — many (if not all) are or will be offering their services via telehealth or by phone. Therefore, if you’re currently in treatment, stay the course from the safety of your own home. And if you’re searching for a mental health provider, rest assured that you won’t have to wait for offices to open again to get help.

To that effect, during the COVID-19 era, we will be gathering virtual and telehealth postpartum depression and anxiety resources for you, as well as offering ways to keep you connected to other expectant or new parents who may be going through the same thing. You are not alone!

Resources

Postpartum Support International

PSI is an amazing organization dedicated to offering resources and creating awareness about pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. We’ve gathered some important information directly from their site, and here is a link to their new COVID-19 resource page for new parents:

In addition, PSI has been working hard to create several new initiatives aimed at better serving black families and other families of color.

American Psychiatric Association

Here are some helpful resources from the APA:

Graeme Seabrook — Mental Health Expert & Advocate

Graeme Seabrook is pretty awesome. As a mom who suffered from a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder herself, she is now dedicated to helping other moms through their healing. She’s a certified life coach and founder of The Mom Center, an online community exclusively for moms.

PostpartumDepression.org

PostpartumDepression.org, created by a husband and wife team who endured severe postpartum depression after the birth of their child, is a website chock-full of info about PPD, support information (support groups, how partners, family and friends can help, etc.) and resources for treatment.

MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health

This is a fantastic online resource brought to us by The Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital. The site is filled with up-to-date scientifically-based information for women regarding physical and mental health (during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond).

The Mom Support Group

The Mom Support Group, created by the Bloom Foundation for Maternal Wellness, consists of “a team of postpartum advocates” who are trained to support new moms and expecting moms, as well as moms who are suffering from a perinatal mood disorder.

The Motherhood Center of New York

The Motherhood Center of New York offers classes, support groups and services for new and expecting moms, as well as treatment for women suffering from perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

MomsWell

MomsWell offers virtual peer-to-peer support groups for new (and expecting) moms who may be experiencing symptoms of a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder. Sessions, which happen over Zoom, are led by facilitators, many of whom are mental health experts and/or who have had struggled with PPD/PPA themselves.

As more information and resources become available, we will be adding them here. If you have anything to add, please leave a message in the comments below. Please check back for updates.

Tips

Here are some tips to help you, dear new mom or dad, stay physically and mentally healthy — always, but especially during this uncertain time of isolation:

In the meantime, please know that even though it may feel like it right now — especially with social distancing — you are NOT alone. If you are struggling from a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, there are still resources out there for you, and you will get through this… and we will be right by your side to help you.

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