NIMH Twitter Chat on Postpartum Depression

May 5, 2014 • Science Update

Postpartum depression (PPD) occurs not because of something a mother does or does not do. The postpartum period is a time of major adjustment for new parents. Feelings of worry and unhappiness can also be the “baby blues,” which affects up to 80 percent of mothers. With PPD, feelings of sadness and anxiety can be extreme and might interfere with a woman’s ability to care for herself or her family.

Unfortunately, like many other mental illnesses, PPD is under-recognized and under-treated. The Affordable Care Act of 2010 specifically mentions the need “to continue activities on postpartum [conditions]…including research to expand the understanding of the causes of, and treatments for, postpartum conditions."

In recognition of National Women’s Health Week, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) will host a Twitter chat on PPD with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development  (NICHD), on Thursday, May 15, 2014, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST. During the chat, NIMH exper Peter Schmidt, M.D., chief of the Section on Behavioral Endocrinology, will be on hand to discuss PPD and answer related questions.

Please use the hashtag #NIMHchats  to follow and participate in the Twitter chat. To ask questions, you must have a Twitter account. If you prefer to simply observe the chat taking place, you may enter #NIMHchats at twubs.com to view the conversation in real-time. An archive of the chat will be posted on NIMH’s website following the event.

If you have any questions, please email NIMHpress@nih.gov. See you on Twitter!