The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug specifically designed to treat postpartum depression. Our Malique Rankin explains how this medicine is offering hope to new moms. Postpartum depression is more common than people realize. In the U.S., about 1 in 9 mothers experience it after having a baby and it can last for years.
Symptoms can include feeling disconnected to your baby, anxiety, invasive thoughts, and feelings of hopelessness. Now, for the first time, there's a drug available to help with this. Unlike anti-depressants, this medicine takes just hours to go into effect. The drug is given by IV over a 2 and a half day period in the hospital.
Sara Kenney; Psychologist at CHI St. Alexius: "It's nothing that women do, or don't do that causes postpartum depression or anxiety. With help, they can get better."
There is a downside to this treatment option and that's the price. With any new drug receiving FDA approval, it takes time for insurance companies to figure out if and how to cover it. Right now, it costs tens of thousands of dollars.
Any time we talk about mental health stories, KX News thinks it's important to let you at home know the resources available if postpartum depression is something you deal with. Talk to your primary care physician for help. There's also a national hotline number you can call, 1-800-PPD-MOMS.
KX News
Malique Rankin Reporting