By Joy Burkhard, MBA
Founder and Executive Director, 2020 Mom

So far this month, the following articles caught my attention. You’ll now see articles grouped by topic, including Suicide, Interrelated Issues, Treatments, Race, Abortion, and more. More studies than usual were printed so far this month relative to treatments. Give this run-down a skim. You can also find these articles posted on our social media platforms throughout the month. Join us there to discuss these findings.

TREATMENT

Can Light Box Therapy Treat Perinatal Depression? This Study Hopes to Find Out.

The study examines how chronotherapy, which aims to reset the sleep cycle, can help people experiencing perinatal and postpartum mood disorders.

Positive Early Signals Seen in Two Investigator-Initiated Studies of Psilocybin Therapy

Investigational COMP360 psilocybin therapy showed promise in people with anorexia nervosa and severe treatment-resistant depression in open-label exploratory studies, COMPASS Pathways announced.

New Drug Being Developed for Potential Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder and Postpartum Depression

Sage Therapeutics and Biogen started a rolling submission of a new drug application to the FDA for the investigational drug Zuranolone. The companies are expected to finish the application submission for major depressive disorder later in 2022 and another filing for postpartum depression in early 2023.

Electroconvulsive Therapy Reduces Suicide Risk in Those Hospitalized With Depression

Treatment with electroconvulsive therapy significantly reduced the risk of death by suicide among those hospitalized with depression in the year following discharge, according to a study published in Lancet Psychiatry.

Mediterranean Diet May Improve Depression Symptoms

Researchers observed an improvement in depression symptoms in all participants provided Mediterranean diet support, with 36% lowering their symptoms to low or minimal depression standards.

Effects of Breastfeeding on Maternal Mental Health (It Works Both Ways)

A new systemic review concludes a positive association between breastfeeding and overall maternal mental health. The study found women who breastfeed have a significantly decreased risk of postpartum depression. However, if a mother experiences difficulties breastfeeding or differences between her expectations and her actual experience breastfeeding is associated with negative mental health outcomes.

American Heart Association Addresses Maternal Mental Health and Risk for Maternal Cardiac Events

Preliminary research presented at an American Heart Association scientific conference showed women who experience postpartum depression may be nearly 70% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease within five years of giving birth.

Insomnia as a Predictor of Recurrent Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease

New study found that people with coronary heart disease who suffered from insomnia from two to thirty-six months after a coronary event were at an increased risk for a major adverse cardiovascular event, including death.

Does Ashwagandha Help You Sleep? What to Know About This Ancient Remedy

Natural remedies have become very popular alternatives to over-the-counter (OTC) and even prescription sleep aids, because they lack the potentially problematic side effects of traditional medications. Ashwagandha is a very interesting natural remedy that may offer a number of benefits that can help with sleep.

Researchers Say They Have Identified Possible Cause of SIDS

Researchers say they have identified the possible cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). According to a recent study in Australia, a lowered level of a specific enzyme, called butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), could explain the malfunction that causes some babies not to startle or wake if they stop breathing in their sleep.

Postpartum Pain Associated with Anxiety Severity

Patients with anxiety at discharge had significant trouble with doing activities and falling and staying asleep compared with patients who did not have anxiety.

US Docs at Double the Risk of Postpartum Depression

One in four new mothers who are physicians report experiencing postpartum depression, a rate twice that of the general population, according to new survey findings presented at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2022 Annual Meeting.

Hybrid School, Working From Home Associated With Worse Parental Mental Health During the Pandemic

While having a child attend a private school or school with above-average instructional quality was associated with better mental health of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid school was associated with worse parental mental health, as was working from home.

Elevated levels of maternal psychological distress [in pregnancy] affect offspring’s cognitive development

Women's elevated anxiety, depression, and stress during pregnancy altered key features of the fetal brain, which subsequently decreased their offspring's cognitive development at 18 months.

What You Need to Know When You Give Birth in a Country With Rising Maternal Mortality Rates

Facing a post-Roe landscape, ProPublica republished advice collected from women who survived severe complications of pregnancy or childbirth.

Recent data shows maternal deaths, including deaths in the first six weeks after childbirth, rose in the first year of the pandemic.

A Landmark Study Tracks the Lasting Effect of Having an Abortion — Or Being Denied One

With Roe v. Wade primed to be overruled, people seeking abortions could soon face new barriers in many states. Researcher Diana Greene Foster documented what happens when someone is denied an abortion in The Turnaway Study.

The U.S. Suicide Rate Grew 33% Over the Past 2 Decades

Making suicide risk screening as common as getting your blood pressure checked could help save lives. In fact, it already has in several U.S. health care systems.

Mindful Mood Balance Therapy Effective for Treating Residual Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation

NIMH-supported researchers have found an online mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral therapy—called Mindful Mood Balance (MMB)—is effective at reducing residual depressive symptoms and at reducing suicidal ideation in those who experience these symptoms.

Severe Depression in Children Goes Mostly Untreated

"The pandemic shined a spotlight on our children's mental health," said the National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Tramaine EL-Amin in an interview. Many states are using federal pandemic funds to upgrade school mental health resources.

Stress and the Mental Health of Populations of Color: Advancing Our Understanding of Race-Related Stressors

This article provides an overview of research on race-related stressors that can affect the mental health of socially disadvantaged racial and ethnic populations. It begins by reviewing the research on self-reported discrimination and mental health. Although discrimination is the most studied aspect of racism…

"Ignored and Invisible": Perspectives from Black Women, Clinicians, and Community-Based Organizations for Reducing Preterm Birth

To inform the development of preterm birth risk reduction interventions, this study aimed to collect and synthesize the experiences of Black women who gave birth preterm along with clinicians and community-based organizations who serve them.

Obstetric Gaslighting and the Denial of Mothers' Realities

Gaslighting can operate as a key, yet an under examined strategy of obstetric violence, or the institutional and interpersonal violation of women’s rights during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. This article draws on forty-six in-depth, semi-structured interviews with mothers who experienced a traumatic childbirth to examine how obstetric providers may gaslight mothers before, during and after childbirth.

It Felt Like My Birth Trauma Had Been Forgotten

What Your Patient is Thinking – Emma Hayden describes the psychological impact of a traumatic birth and her difficulties with finding healthcare support. “You’ve really been through it,” the midwife said after we had finally been discharged from hospital. It was the exact…

Mental Health Startup Uses Voice ‘Biomarkers’ To Detect Signs Of Depression And Anxiety

This AI software analyzes the human voice to detect depression and anxiety, offering clinicians “a more well-rounded, 360-view of the patient.”

Study Looks At The Mental Health Of Pregnant Women During Pandemic & It's Grim

Twenty three percent of pregnant/postpartum women suffered with major depressive symptoms.

Deaths Related to Alcohol Use Disorder Surged During the Pandemic

Alcohol sales and consumption have gone up during the pandemic, and so have complications of alcohol use, research over the past two years has shown. A new study in JAMA Network Open looks specifically at deaths related to alcohol use disorder, using data from 2012 through 2019 to project mortality rates for 2020 and 2021. Its conclusion: Death rates linked to alcohol use disorder rose by 25% in 2020 and 22% in 2021 compared to projected rates. Younger people from 25 to 44 years old showed the steepest upward climb. “The small proportion of Covid-19-related deaths suggests that excess deaths were more likely attributable to indirect effects of the pandemic, such as stay-at-home policies and reduced medical and social resources for patients with alcohol use disorder,” the authors write.

Trends in the Use of Treatment for Substance Use Disorders, 2010-19

The pandemic exacerbated individual isolation and increased the risks of solitary drug use amid an increasingly lethal and unpredictable drug supply. Given these factors, improving access to treatment and other health care services should be a critical priority for the healthcare industry.

What We're Reading