Action Deficit

Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders impacts nearly 1 in 3 women, yet it does not receive enough local attention or resources (i.e., funding). This issue is associated with a lack of public awareness, professional education, access to timely treatment care, and stigma.

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System Deficit

Access to treatment and care for Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders is incomplete, as it is not universally available, fully covered, or consistently reimbursed.

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Treatment Deficit

Screening is the primary means of identifying potential Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders. However, screening is not universally practiced or standardized, and diagnosis and access to treatment often need to be more coordinated and adequate. While national and state organizations have issued guidelines and endorsed screening and treatment, and several practical screening tools are available, universal screening and access to treatment are not consistently provided across different healthcare sectors.

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Funding Deficit

Compared to other women's health issues with a similar population prevalence, Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders received limited funding locally in addition to federal and state funding. A comparison of federal research funding: The National Institute for Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spent $197 million on lupus research, which affects one in 200 women, and $1.4 billion for breast cancer research, which affects one in eight women. In contrast, Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders, having a higher prevalence rate than breast cancer and lupus, received only $54 million in federal research.