Postpartum Resource Center of New York, Inc.
109 Udall Road
West Islip, NY 11795
www.postpartumNY.org

Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month

May 24, 2007, West Islip, NY — This month is Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month in Suffolk County. Last May Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy proclaimed the month of May 2006 and every year thereafter as Perinatal Mood Disorders Awareness Month.

The Postpartum Resource Center of New York, Inc. continues it efforts to increase awareness of perinatal mood disorders, including postpartum depression.

At least up to 10% of pregnant women will experience depression and up to 20% of mothers will experience postpartum depression and/or anxiety within the first year after having a baby or post adoption. 1 or 2 women in 1,000 births will experience the most severe form postpartum psychosis.

In Suffolk County up to 2,000 pregnant women and up to 4,000 mothers within 12 months of having a baby will experience a perinatal mood disorder. Up to 50,000 New York State women and over 800,000 women a year throughout the United States will experience this #1 medical complication related to childbearing.

"We all need to work together to continue to build a safety net for the community to prevent tragedies. Awareness, education, treatment and support of maternal mental health are essential for pregnant and postpartum women. Related to recent events it is important to know that mothers who abandon their babies may have been experiencing a mental illness," states Sonia Murdock, Executive Director and Co-founder, Postpartum Resource Center of New York, Inc., and a past president of Postpartum Support International.

"While mothers who commit these acts seem, at first glance to be monsters, many of these women are suffering from significant psychiatric illness and deserve appropriate psychiatric evaluations by an expert in pregnancy and postpartum disorders," states Margaret Spinelli, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Director: Maternal Mental Health Program, New York State Psychiatric Institute and Advisory Board Member, Postpartum Resource Center of New York.

The Postpartum Resource Center of New York, Inc. established in 1998 is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization providing education, emotional support and healthcare and support group resources to New York State women and families at risk for or experiencing a perinatal mood disorder.

Helpline (631) 422-2255 www.postpartumNY.org

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