
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline launched on Mother’s Day 2022. The service is federally funded and is intended to help moms struggling with mental health postpartum. Since its inception just over a year ago, the hotline has managed more than 12,000 calls and texts from Americans in need, a welcomed change in a country where those with mental health issues are often grossly underserved.
A representative from the Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration shared hotline data with NBC News, reporting more than 1,000 interactions per month throughout the last year. The hotline surged in January 2023, when Massachusetts mom of three Lindsay Clancy allegedly killed her children and then tried to commit suicide. This reportedly proved to experts that the service is being used just as it is intended.
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Clancy reportedly struggled with her mental health.
According to her doctors, Clancy was diagnosed with postpartum depression, which many believe was the impetus behind the heinous crimes she was charged with. In addition to allegedly killing her children, Clancy reportedly tried to kill herself by jumping from a second-story window. She is now paralyzed, and her lawyer says she will never walk again. As her case made national headlines, hotline activity increased by 73%, an HRSA representative told NBC News.
Hotline counselor Shanna Williams, a doula, lactation counselor, and perinatal mental health therapist based in Pennsylvania, told NBC News that counselors needed to help put minds at ease with each call that came in.
“One of the first things we had to do was just say, ‘Yeah, this is really scary, and it’s hard. But it’s important to know that there’s help out there, that this is not something that is a common experience for folks,” she said.
Mothers often suffer from postpartum depression silently.
Because of the stigma surrounding mental health and postpartum depression, mothers will keep their struggles to themselves. This often exacerbates the issue.
NBC News reported that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 mothers has postpartum depression. Postpartum Support International notes that 1 in 10 mothers suffers from postpartum anxiety and just 1 or 2 of every 1,000 deliveries has mothers who experience postpartum psychosis. Doctors now believe this may be what happened to Clancy.
According to Postpartum Support International, postpartum psychosis is severe and requires immediate medical attention, NBC News reported. Symptoms can include things such as hallucinations that alter people’s sense of reality.
The hotline is part of Vice President Kamala Harris’ broader plan for maternal care.
Unsurprisingly, in the US, mothers are given far less care after birth than in many other developed countries. This includes shorter hospital stays and no federally funded maternity leave benefits. Harris wants to help overhaul care for mothers, and the hotline is a helpful start.
“Every mother or mother-to-be, across our nation, should have access to the help and support they need to be healthy,” Harris shared in a statement first with NBC News.
The news outlet reported that Congress allotted $7 million in funding for the hotline in 2023, hopefully allowing for improvements such as increased staff.
Wendy Davis, executive lead of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline and executive director of Postpartum Support International, told NBC News the hotline is staffed by more than three dozen call-takers, which include nurses, doulas, and lactation consultants.
The hotline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Williams shared with NBC News that calls come in at all hours of the day because mental health crises don’t just happen during regular working hours. She said mothers with insomnia or breastfeeding will call, and sometimes calls last just a few minutes to longer than 45 minutes. Counselors are there to listen.
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The goal of the hotline is two-fold.
First, it aims to help women who need mental health services and to aid women who need better maternal care. According to NBC News, the US has a staggering maternal mortality rate disproportionality high for Black mothers. According to the March of Dimes, more than 2.2 million women in their child-bearing years live in 1,100 US counties without any hospitals or birth centers offering obstetric care, and nearly 150,000 babies were born in them in 2022.
The hotline offers women a chance to speak with professionals who they may not otherwise have access to. Women are still encouraged to seek help from their medical providers.
“The most important thing for people to know is they’re not alone,” Davis said. “There’s help, and there’s hope, any time of the day or night.”
The hotline is not intended for medical emergencies or calls regarding suicide or hurting others. Williams said the hotline refers those calls to places like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which can offer more intensive and immediate support.
The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline can be reached at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).