New Jersey § 26:2-175

§ 26:2-175.

The Legislature finds and declares that: a. Postpartum depression is the name given to a wide range of emotional, psychological

and physiological reactions to childbirth, including loneliness, sadness, fatigue,

low self-esteem, loss of identity, increased vulnerability, irritability, confusion,

disorientation, memory impairment, agitation and anxiety, which challenge the stamina

of the new mother and impair her ability to function and nurture her newborn child; b. Postpartum depression is the result of a chemical imbalance triggered by a sudden

dramatic drop in hormonal production after the birth of a baby, and women at highest

risk for postpartum depression are those with a previous psychiatric difficulty, such

as depression, anxiety or panic disorder and those with a family member suffering

from such a psychiatric difficulty, but postpartum depression frequently strikes without

warning in women without any past emotional problems or psychiatric difficulties and

without any complications in pregnancy. Symptoms may appear at any time after delivery; c. Women are more likely to suffer from mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy

and following childbirth than at any other time in their lives; 70 to 80% of all

new mothers suffer some degree of postpartum mood disorder lasting anywhere from a

week to as much as a year or more, and approximately 10 to 20% of new mothers experience

a paralyzing, diagnosable clinical depression; d. Many new mothers suffering from postpartum depression require counseling and treatment,

yet many do not realize that they need help. Those whose illness is severe may require medication to correct the underlying brain

chemistry that is disturbed; e. Postpartum depression dramatically distorts the image of perfect new motherhood

and is often dismissed by the woman suffering from this illness and those around her. Sometimes it is thought to be a weakness on the part of the sufferer that is self-induced

and self-controllable; f. Currently, the United States lacks any organized treatment protocol for postpartum

depression and lags behind most other developed countries in providing information,

support and treatment for postpartum depression; g. If early recognition and treatment are to occur, postpartum depression must be

discussed in childbirth classes and obstetrical office visits and public education

about this illness must be enhanced to lift the social stigma associated with the

illness. Such discussion and education will increase the chance that a woman will inform

others of her symptoms as she would for physical complications; h. It is imperative that health care providers who provide prenatal and postnatal

care to women have a thorough understanding of postpartum depression so that they

can detect and diagnose this illness in its earliest stages and thus prevent the most

severe cases; i. In addition to the mother, the effects of postpartum depression can also impact

the child and the father significantly. Maternal depression can affect the mother's ability to respond sensitively to her

infant's needs, and can strain the parent's relationship as the father feels anxious

and helpless because he does not understand what is going wrong or what is the source

of the depression; and j. Postpartum depression is one of the most treatable and curable of all forms of

mental illness, and education about this illness can be very beneficial to new parents

coping with these emotional and hormonal changes by helping them decide if and when

they need outside help.