New National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Had 12,000 Interactions in Its First Year
A representative from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration shared hotline data with NBC News, reporting more than 1,000 interactions per month throughout the last year. The hotline surged in January 2023, when Massachusetts mom of three Lindsay Clancy allegedly killed her children and then tried to commit suicide. This reportedly proved to experts that the service is being used just as it is intended.
According to her doctors, Clancy was diagnosed with postpartum depression, which many believe was the impetus behind the heinous crimes she was charged with. In addition to allegedly killing her children, Clancy reportedly tried to kill herself by jumping from a second-story window. She is now paralyzed, and her lawyer says she will never walk again.
CLANCY REPORTEDLY STRUGGLED WITH HER MENTAL HEALTH.
As her case made national headlines, hotline activity increased by 73%, an HRSA representative told NBC News. Hotline counselor Shanna Williams, a doula, lactation counselor, and perinatal mental health therapist based in Pennsylvania, told NBC News that counselors needed to help put minds at ease with each call that came in.
“One of the first things we had to do was just say, ‘Yeah, this is really scary, and it’s hard. But it’s important to know that there’s help out there, that this is not something that is a common experience for folks,” she said.
Because of the stigma surrounding mental health and postpartum depression, mothers will keep their struggles to themselves.
MOTHERS OFTEN SUFFER FROM POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION SILENTLY.
NBC News reported that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 mothers has postpartum depression. Postpartum Support International notes that 1 in 10 mothers suffers from postpartum anxiety and just 1 or 2 of every 1,000 deliveries has mothers who experience postpartum psychosis. Doctors now believe this may be what happened to Clancy.
According to Postpartum Support International, postpartum psychosis is severe and requires immediate medical attention, NBC News reported. Symptoms can include things such as hallucinations that alter people’s sense of reality.
Unsurprisingly, in the US, mothers are given far less care after birth than in many other developed countries. This includes shorter hospital stays and no federally funded maternity leave benefits. Harris wants to help overhaul care for mothers, and the hotline is a helpful start.
THE HOTLINE IS PART OF VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS’ BROADER PLAN FOR MATERNAL CARE.
“Every mother or mother-to-be, across our nation, should have access to the help and support they need to be healthy,” Harris shared in a statement first with NBC News. The news outlet reported that Congress allotted $7 million in funding for the hotline in 2023, hopefully allowing for improvements such as increased staff.
The hotline offers women a chance to speak with professionals who they may not otherwise have access to.
THE HOTLINE IS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR.
“The most important thing for people to know is they’re not alone,” Davis said. “There’s help, and there’s hope, any time of the day or night.”
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can be reached at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).
