One in five people giving birth experience pregnancy-related mental health conditions and medical professionals are trying to help Kansas moms catch signs early.

Perinatal and postpartum depression is so common in the U.S., the Biden administration released a national strategy this year to improve maternal mental health care.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever medication to treat postpartum depression.

Taryn Zweygardt, a licensed specialized clinical social worker certified in perinatal mental health and chair of the Kansas chapter of Postpartum Support International, said many points of contact during and after pregnancy are opportunities to screen for signs, by OB/GYNs, home visitation programs and pediatricians.

"We're encouraging anybody that's touching women during that perinatal period, that postpartum period, to be having those conversations and screening women to be able to better identify if they're struggling," Zweygardt explained.

Zweygardt pointed out the statewide program "Kansas Connecting Communities" offers training, resources and scholarships to help professionals learn to screen moms and provide therapy services. The state in June also extended Medicaid coverage to include doula services.

Dr. Donna O'Shea, OB/GYN and chief medical officer for population health at UnitedHealthcare, said some people are at higher risk than others, including women with a personal or family history of mood disorders, those who experienced fertility challenges or who had a difficult birth and those who may struggle with substance use. There's an added challenge for moms who do not feel comfortable speaking up, O'Shea added.

"The problem is that there are communities, particularly in communities of color, where the stigma and judgment can prevent people from seeking the mental health treatment that can help them," O'Shea emphasized.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Kansas saw one of the largest spikes in the nation for maternal mortality ratios for American Indian and Alaska Native people in the past two decades. Black women in Kansas also continue to be at disproportionately high risk of death.

Mental health counselors focused on Nebraska's high rate of binge drinking during Alcohol Awareness Month, which just wrapped up.

Alcohol abuse is often associated with other addictions. Nebraska's binge drinking rate is among the highest in the nation and the number of alcohol-related deaths is on the rise. Alcohol was blamed for at least 720 fatalities in 2020, the latest year data were available.

Aileen Brady, CEO of the Community Alliance in Omaha, said alcohol abuse and addiction affects families and friendships but can also lead to safety issues among employees who may be alcohol dependent.

"If their reactions are not as sharp, if they're not sleeping well and if they're distracted with the sense of needing to have that drink, it's going to affect our workplaces, as well," Brady explained.

Brady adds alcohol and other substance abuse disorders affect at least 65% of Nebraskans seeking mental health treatment at Community Alliance. Nationwide, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health said more than 224-million people 12 and older report having consumed alcohol during their lifetime.

Brady added it is common among alcohol addicted people or those who abuse it to assume drinking will improve their mood, which she said can happen temporarily, but long-term, has the opposite effect.

"That might last for a period of hours, and then once they stop the drinking and they are coming down off of that use of alcohol, then the depressant sets in," Brady observed.

Brady added Community Alliance continues to dispel myths about the effects of alcohol and raise awareness about the negative physical and mental health outcomes of drinking too much.


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Budding flowers, warmer temperatures and longer days are welcome signs to many in Maryland after the long, dark months of winter. Some people might believe warmer weather improves mental health after seasonal depression in the winter months, but that's not always the case. Many people experience increased mental-health struggles as spring rolls around.

When people's feeling in the springtime doesn't meet their expectations, said Cynthia Cubbage, director of family and post-adopt service for the Barker Adoption Foundation, it can make mental-health issues worse.

"When people are looking forward to spring because it's a time of renewal, and those expectations don't happen, and then nothing gets better for them because it's deeper than that," she said, "then they get really stressed and depression can really set in. And it's because of the expectations."

Suicide rates rise in the spring and not winter, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Researchers find that seasonal allergies play a role. A person with rhinitis, which causes allergy symptoms, is more than 40% more likely to be depressed.

Cubbage said there are many ways people can combat those feelings: Get outdoors as much as possible and get out socially as well. But she reminded folks that sleep is vital.

"Definitely prioritize sleep, even though we're having more daylight," she said. "It makes people want to stay up longer - that they should be doing things - and to remember that's a big transition for your body. They should still prioritize their sleep. If they were still going to sleep at eight or they were putting their kids down at eight, that should continue."

Cubbage added that, if you continue to feel depressed or down even after trying those suggestions, it's best to seek out professional mental-health help.

A bill headed to the Montana governor's desk would qualify post-traumatic stress disorder under workers' compensation for the state's first responders.

PTSD is a mental-health condition that someone may develop after a traumatic event. It can result in a range of symptoms from a negative mood and reactivity to flashbacks and difficulty sleeping. First responders report experiencing PTSD at about five times the rate of the general population, according to Relief Mental Health.

George Richards, who serves as president of both the Montana State Firefighters' Association and the Montana State Council of Professional Firefighters, said suicide is one of the top two leading causes of death among firefighters.

"Firefighters, police officers, paramedics, EMTs, experience - working on a gunshot victim or a fatality wreck or a kid death - major trauma-critical calls that really affect the brain," he said.

Richards said the bill had bipartisan support, although some opponents were concerned with the costs. The bill passed a House vote Friday, just before today's observance of Workers Memorial Day.

Until now, Montana was one of roughly a dozen states without a PTSD-related workers comp policy for first responders. Richards said treatment for PTSD will also help with worker retention.

"We want it recognized so they can get the treatment and return to work as a healthy individual with a clear mind," he said.

Treatment can take different forms, Richards noted, from peer-to-peer support to residential treatment programs.


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