Understanding Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs)
We talk about “PMADs” a lot around here, but what are they? Historically referred to as “postpartum depression,” the term “perinatal mood and anxiety disorders” (or PMADs) refers to a whole range of maternal mental health complications that occur for many women during their perinatal period. A perinatal period means the period “all around” birth, and it refers to the time throughout pregnancy and the baby’s first year. Many have heard of postpartum depression, but this is only one of several conditions that can occur in expectant and new mothers. These can also include anxiety, OCD, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and psychosis.
We don’t share any of this to scare you.
Rather, we share this because we want to normalize the very difficult mental health complications that mothers deal with on a daily basis. You likely have questions, and we are here to help as much as we can. To start, we have an FAQ section that dives deeper into PMADs. Second, we are a phone call or an email or an office visit away, so please reach out. You are not alone.
Overwhelmed as a mama? Anxious? Guilty? Irritable? Sad? Exhausted but sleepless? Hopeless? Nervous? If these describe your feelings, you may be concerned about maternal mental health issues (we call them PMADs). Mother-Wise, as well as thousands of providers and therapists across the country, use the “Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale.” It’s basically a fancy way of saying “how am I feeling at this time?”
It is a 10-question self-administered screening tool developed by John Cox and Jeni Holden. You can download it yourself to answer the questions, score it, and use the information how you see fit. You can also take the tool right here. The score will be sent to our trained staff, who will follow up with you to offer a whole host of resources, support, information, and a listening ear without judgment. Our services are confidential.