A new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital found that 1 in 3 expecting or new mothers surveyed had probable depression, one in five had probable anxiety and one in 10 had probably PTSD.
"Everybody has lost something, or some experience, or someone," said the study's co-author, Dr. Cindy Liu, a clinical psychologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
Liu said those typical traditions and routines that come with pregnancy or with a new baby are no longer because of the pandemic.
"For women who are going through pregnancy or having a baby, there's all these routines that are just so typical of that preparation," she said. "Just, getting ready to have a baby, baby showers, having people come over to help support you. And not having that is a huge loss. There are a good number of individuals who are feeling grief about that, and that grief itself also contributes to mental health concerns."
Dr. Leena Mittal, director of the Division of Women’s Mental Health at Brigham and Women's Hospital, says we can help expecting or new mothers by not only checking in on them during the pandemic but also advocating for wider access to mental health services.
We also spoke with David Blais, a co-founder of the Framingham food organization Daniel's Table, about the app they are rolling out next year to more efficiently distribute food in their community.
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
Segments:
David Blais - 3:00
Dr. Cindy Liu and Dr. Leena Mittal - 12:02
