BILL NUMBER: ACR 105 INTRODUCED
BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Nava
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Brownley, Carter, De Leon,
Fletcher, Gaines, Jones, V. Manuel Perez, and Audra Strickland)
JANUARY 20, 2010
Relative to Perinatal Depression Awareness Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 105, as introduced, Nava. Perinatal Depression Awareness
Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of May 2010 as Perinatal
Depression Awareness Month in California, and would request the State
Department of Health Care Services, the State Department of Public
Health, the State Department of Mental Health, First 5 California,
Postpartum Support International, and other stakeholders to work
together to explore ways to improve women's access to mental health
care at the state and local levels, to facilitate increased awareness
and education about perinatal depression, to explore and encourage
the use of prenatal screening tools, and to improve the availability
of effective treatment and community support services.
Fiscal committee: no.
WHEREAS, Maternal health and, more specifically, the mental health
of women before, during, and after childbirth is an issue of great
concern to women and their families and is, therefore, of interest to
the Legislature; and
WHEREAS, Perinatal depression and other mood disorders are serious
and debilitating, but treatable disorders that affect childbearing
women and their families; and
WHEREAS, Perinatal depression and other mood disorders related to
pregnancy and childbirth can take many forms, including depression,
anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and
psychosis, with onset occurring during pregnancy and after childbirth
and, therefore, it is appropriate to use the broader, more accurate
term of "perinatal depression" to describe the many levels and
degrees of severity of these afflictions; and
WHEREAS, These afflictions can have potentially serious
repercussions upon the physical, emotional, social, and physical
health of mothers, infants, children, and families; and
WHEREAS, It is critical that there is heightened awareness and
increased education among all Californians as to the incidence of
perinatal depression; that it affects all categories of women and
teenage girls regardless of their age, race, or income level; that it
can have a profound impact on the family and significantly
contribute to adverse developmental and behavioral outcomes and
attachment disorders in the young children of affected women; and
that it is highly treatable with therapeutic intervention, community
support services, and additionally, where appropriate, medication;
and
WHEREAS, Studies show that up to 80 percent of pregnant and
postpartum women around the world experience the "baby blues," which
is expressed as frequent and prolonged crying, anxiety, irritability,
poor sleep, quick mood changes, and a sense of vulnerability. The
onset of the "baby blues" usually occurs within three days of birth,
may continue for a few weeks, and does not normally require clinical
treatment, but is instead alleviated by emotional and community-based
support services, and practical assistance with the baby; and
WHEREAS, Between 10 and 20 percent of pregnant and new mothers are
affected by perinatal depression and related mood disorders, and may
experience symptoms of depressed mood, inability to find pleasure in
usually engaging activities, sleep disturbances, diminished
concentration, appetite and weight loss, anxiety and panic attacks,
feelings of guilt and worthlessness, suicidal thoughts, and fears
about hurting the baby; and
WHEREAS, One to two out of every 1,000 new mothers can experience
postpartum psychosis, which may begin with manic states,
hyperactivity, an inability to sleep, and avoidance of the baby, and
may lead to delusions, hallucinations, incoherence, and thoughts of
harming the child or themselves and the inability to suppress these
thoughts resulting in bodily harm to mother, infant, or both; and
WHEREAS, All factors contributing to perinatal depression and
related mood disorders are not fully understood or recognized, but it
is believed that these disorders are caused by physiological
factors, such as hormone levels, and can be exacerbated by such
external risk factors as marital problems, sleep deprivation, lack of
social support, poverty, and preexisting mental illnesses; and
WHEREAS, Mental illness related to childbearing is often
overlooked and is heavily stigmatized because expectant and new
mothers are expected to be happy, and mothers who are suffering from
a form of these disorders feel confused, ashamed, and isolated; and
WHEREAS, According to the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG), a strong social support network, including
hotlines, Internet Web site resources, including Postpartum Support
International, respite care, community-based support, including
faith-based supportive services, home visitation programs, and
informed and accessible resources, and referrals that accommodate
all, regardless of ability to pay and are culturally competent can
greatly reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms of perinatal
depression and can promote healing and recovery. Social and
community-based support includes removing stigma as a barrier to
accessing help, empathy, information, and practical help that leads
women and their families to obtain effective treatment and support
services and creates an environment in which women learn that they
are not alone, they are not to blame, and they will get better; and
WHEREAS, The proposed federal Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act
would direct the United States Secretary of Health and Human
Services, the National Institutes of Health, including the National
Institute of Mental Health, to expand and intensify research and
related activities with respect to postpartum depression and
postpartum psychosis and would direct the Secretary of Health and
Human Services to make grants to provide for projects for the
establishment, operation, and coordination of effective and
cost-efficient systems for the delivery of essential services to
individuals with perinatal depression or postpartum psychosis and
their families; and
WHEREAS, The highly publicized tragic deaths of children at the
hands of their mothers who suffered from postpartum psychosis have
emphasized the need for more awareness of the illness; improved
referral processes; improved access to therapeutic intervention
including medication, and other supportive services; more research
into perinatal depression and related mood disorders including
postpartum psychosis; and a greater understanding of how the justice
system interacts with mothers who suffer from postpartum psychosis
and are accused of a crime; and
WHEREAS, Many women are not adequately informed about, screened
for, and treated for perinatal depression because they are uninsured,
underinsured, lack access to comprehensive health care, or face
cultural and linguistic barriers; and
WHEREAS, Many at-risk women may not get help because of the stigma
associated with mental illness, lack of information about perinatal
depression and related mood disorders as part of their overall
reproductive health care; because there is limited knowledge; and
nonuse of screening and assessment tools; and because they are
unaware of services; support and treatment for perinatal depression,
such as medication, therapeutic interventions including counseling,
support groups, and community support services; and
WHEREAS, Increased education and awareness, improved access to
health care, proper universal use of perinatal screening tools, and
prioritizing perinatal depression by all service providers and
community support systems who interface with pregnant and new mothers
are all critical factors in identifying mothers-to-be who are at
risk, and providing prompt diagnosis, treatment, and proper community
based-support services that can effectively work together to
facilitate recovery; and
WHEREAS, There is ample opportunity for the diverse health care
community, including obstetricians and gynecologists, pediatricians,
psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, case managers, nurses,
childbirth educators, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, doulas,
health educators, breastfeeding instructors, and community advocates,
to make women aware of perinatal depression and related mood
disorders and identify at-risk women during prenatal visits, home
visitation sessions, prepared childbirth classes, labor and delivery,
breast-feeding classes, postpartum well-baby checkups, and parenting
classes; and
WHEREAS, It behooves hospitals, health plans, and insurance
companies to establish and encourage these policies of diagnosis,
identification, and referral to informed treatment and supportive
services; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the State of California hereby proclaims the
month of May 2010 as Perinatal Depression Awareness Month in
California; and be it further
Resolved, That the State Department of Health Care Services, State
Department of Public Health, the State Department of Mental Health,
First 5 California, Postpartum Support International, and other
motivated stakeholders are requested to work together to explore ways
to improve women's access to mental health care at the state and
local levels, to facilitate increased awareness and education about
perinatal depression and related mood disorders, to explore and
encourage the implementation of universal use of prenatal treatment
and support services; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.