BILL NUMBER: ACR 105 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 9
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE APRIL 27, 2010
APPROVED BY GOVERNOR APRIL 27, 2010
ADOPTED IN SENATE APRIL 15, 2010
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 22, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 12, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 9, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Nava
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Block, Blumenfield,
Brownley, Carter, Davis, De Leon, Eng, Fletcher, Gaines, Hall,
Huffman, Jones, Lieu, Bonnie Lowenthal, Monning, V.B ManuelB Perez,
Portantino, Salas, Solorio, and AudraB Strickland)
(Coauthors: Senators Aanestad, Correa, Cox, Hancock, Leno, and
Price)
JANUARY 20, 2010
Relative to Perinatal Depression Awareness Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 105, Nava. Perinatal Depression Awareness Month.
This measure would proclaim the month of May, each year, 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, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
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, clinically referred to as
perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, to explore and encourage the
use of prenatal screening tools, and to improve the availability of
effective treatment and community support services.
WHEREAS, Maternal health and, more specifically, the mental health
of women before, during, and after childbirth is an issue of great
concern to women, their families, and their physicians 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 clinically referred to as "perinatal mood and
anxiety disorders" but commonly referred to as "perinatal depression"
; and
WHEREAS, These afflictions can have potentially serious
repercussions upon the physical, emotional, social, and physical
health of mothers, fathers, 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-based supportive services, and 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 instead is alleviated by emotional and community-based
supportive 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 the 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
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 can greatly
reduce the intensity and duration of symptoms of perinatal depression
and can promote healing and recovery. This support can take the form
of hotlines, Internet Web sites, community-based support, home
visitation, referral services, and respite care. Services should be
available regardless of ability to pay, and services should be
culturally and linguistically appropriate. 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, Provisions of the proposed federal Melanie Blocker Stokes
MOTHERS Act made law by the federal Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act directs the United States Secretary of Health and
Human Services and the National Institute of Mental Health to expand
and intensify research and related activities with respect to
postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis and directs 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 disorders, including postpartum psychosis
and other perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; 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 affected 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 limited use 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-based supportive services;
and
WHEREAS, Lack of available services due to inadequate funding for
comprehensive medical care, and specifically mental health services,
creates an environment where care may not be readily available, and
it is particularly important to bring awareness to this problem so
that women and their families are able to seek out help; and
WHEREAS, Increased education and awareness, improved access to
health care, use of perinatal screening tools, and understanding of
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 supportive
services that can effectively work together to facilitate recovery;
and
WHEREAS, There are many opportunities 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, breast-feeding 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, insurance companies,
and public programs to pay for, 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, each year, 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, the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, 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, clinically referred to as perinatal mood and
anxiety disorders; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of
this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.