Rates of Postpartum Depression Have Doubled in the Last Decade. Many are Asking Why.

Rates of postpartum depression — a serious mood disorder affecting new moms within the first 12 months after childbirth — have doubled over the last decade, according to a new study of more than 440,000 people from Kaiser Permanente Southern California. The rate of diagnosis jumped from about 9% in 2010 to 19% in 2021.

This is part of a larger trend. Mental health conditions are now the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Postpartum depression symptoms can include persistent feelings of sadness, lack of interest in activities, eating and sleep disturbances and excessive irritability or crying. It’s more serious than the temporary and mild sadness of the “baby blues,” according to the American Psychiatric Association.

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