Brooke Shields promotes postpartum depression legislation

Five months after giving birth to a healthy child, Melanie Blocker Stokes, beautiful and accomplished in her professional and private life, decided to jump off a high rise building to her death. Melanie suffered from postpartum depression, which is a mental illness that afflicts millions of women nationwide. It is a devastating mood disorder which strikes many women during and after pregnancy and is the single most frequent serious complication of pregnancy.

Ever since Melanie took her own life back in June of 2001, I have become an advocate for aggressive research, education, and treatment of this disease. I have been working on legislation since 2001, and while the then-republican lead Congress dragged its feet—hundreds of thousands of women battled this serious illness without support. I fully believe that if men suffered from postpartum depression, that Congress would have passed my bill a long time ago.

Nevertheless, I am excited that after six long years, Congress is now poised to finally do the right thing for millions of mothers suffering from postpartum depression. With 120 co-sponsors, and growing, The Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Research and Care Act, H.R. 20 is well on its way to becoming law.

On May 11, my legislative effort was strengthened by famed actress and model Brooke Shields who has suffered from postpartum depression. Shields visited Congress to urge my colleagues for support both my bill and Sen. Robert Menendez’s similar legislation that he introduce on the Senate side.

The need for resources to combat postpartum depression grows more and more significant each year. Research indicates that some form of postpartum depression affects approximately 1 in 1,000 new mothers resulting in upward of 400,000 new cases each year. Of the new postpartum cases this year, less than 15 percent of mothers will receive treatment; although scientists argue, with treatment over 90 percent of these mothers could overcome their depression.

All too often postpartum depression goes undiagnosed or untreated. Unfortunately, what little research and treatment is available is even less accessible for minority communities. Too many new mothers are losing touch with reality with distorted thinking, delusions, auditory hallucinations, paranoia, hyperactivity, and rapid speech or mania. At an Energy & Commerce hearing on this bill, May 1, the National Institute on Mental Health stated that minorities were significantly under-represented in their research. Additionally, a representative from the American Psychiatric Association concluded that minority communities are under-reported and under-treated with regard to postpartum depression and the stigma of mental health.

Untreated, postpartum depression can lead to further depression, substance abuse, loss of employment, divorce and further social alienation, self-destructive behavior, or even suicide. Untreated, postpartum depression impacts society through its affect on the infant's physical and psychological development, child abuse, neglect or death of the infant or other siblings, and the disruption of the family.

This is why I have been a tireless advocate for a national standard of care for health professionals and funding coming through Congress to the proper sources that will help eliminate this problem. Postpartum depression is a treatable disorder if promptly diagnosed by a trained provider and attended to with a personalized regimen of care including social support, therapy, medication, and when necessary hospitalization.

Congress must give new mothers nationwide more than just flowers and congratulation cards; we must give them the tools they need to combat and even avoid postpartum depression.