Massachusetts is squaring up to the problem of maternal depression

Massachusetts is addressing under-diagnosis and lack of treatment for maternal depression by leveraging the time and expertise of the state's few perinatal psychiatrists, who specialise in treating pregnant and postnatal women. The program consists of a telephone hotline to the few experts available, alongside mental health training for obstetricians and other frontline healthcare providers in regular contact with new and expecting mothers. More than one in seven women suffers from depression while pregnant or in the first year after birth. Furthermore, suicide is a leading cause of death among new mothers.