Moms Organize To Help Those Suffering From Postpartum Depression

LOS ANGELES, May 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This May, mothers and others around the country are mobilizing to watch out for moms who may be experiencing a maternal mental health disorder like postpartum depression. 

In honor of Mother's Day and National Women's Health Week, the National Coalition of Maternal Mental Health (NCMMH) will engage mothers, their loved ones, clinicians and advocates in a national poster-hanging campaign. 

Beginning, Monday, May 4^th and culminating on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10^th, people around the country will take to their communities armed with awareness posters for display in coffee shops, daycares, libraries, grocery stores, doctor's offices, and anywhere else you might find a mom – all in a collective effort to let moms know that someone is watching out for them.

The May Campaign is encouraging everyone to hang posters in their community, and post photos on social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, using the hashtags #watchingoutforyou and #momsmatter.

Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, like postpartum depression, affect an astounding one in seven women who give birth each year. At the same time, they remain significantly under-diagnosed and under-treated.

"The goal of the May Campaign is three-fold", says NCMMH founding member and May Campaign Chair Maureen Fura. "We want women to know they are not alone, it's not their fault, and that help is available."

Despite the legions of survivors, clinicians and advocates working on this issue, far too many women fail to receive the help they need – whether due to their fear of speaking up, a healthcare provider's failure to ask, or simply a misguided belief that significant anxiety and/or depression is just part of the "normal" transition to motherhood. 

The NCMMH, in part through its annual May Campaign, is working to raise awareness, eliminate stigma and remove obstacles standing between women who are suffering and the informed and empathetic care they need.

We urge you to join us. This is how:

To get involved in the May Campaign visit www.mmhcoalition.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MayCampaign and on Twitter at @maycampaign.

About the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health

The National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health was founded in 2014, and unites organizations committed to addressing maternal mental health by engaging stakeholders, raising awareness, and advocating for change in policies and practices to ensure all mothers receive the help they need so they and their families can thrive. For more information, please visit (http://www.mmhcoalition.com/).

Contact: Maureen Fura
Phone: 831-920-7907
Email

SOURCE National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health

Related Links

http://www.mmhcoalition.com