A recent study revealed a worrying trend: in 2023, only 25.8% of mothers in the United States reported having "good" mental health, a significant drop from 38.4% in 2016. This means that three-quarters of mothers experience poor mental health—a crisis rooted not in individual weaknesses but in systemic pressures.

Motherhood is exhilarating but also exhausting. It can bring tremendous emotional highs, but it can also exacerbate mental stress. Expecting mothers to "bounce back" after childbirth while juggling work, family, and societal expectations is too much to ask.

Why is maternal mental health declining?

1. Social Isolation and Mental Toll

Modern mothers often lack the close-knit support systems of previous generations. Juggling household chores, childcare, and careers, the mental workload becomes unnecessarily burdensome—even before dealing with emotional and burnout issues.

2. Underdiagnosed and Untreated Conditions

Up to 20% of mothers experience postpartum mental health issues (such as postpartum depression and anxiety) during pregnancy or the postpartum period, yet only about 15% receive treatment. Furthermore, 75% of those with mental health issues remain untreated.

3. Mental Health is a Leading Cause of Postpartum Death

Shockingly, in the United States, maternal mental health issues account for 23% of all maternal deaths, exceeding even causes such as excessive bleeding. In the United Kingdom, suicide is the leading cause of death between six weeks and one year after childbirth.

4. Pandemic-Intensified Stress

During the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of maternal depression nearly doubled, and rates of anxiety disorders tripled, compared to pre-pandemic levels, highlighting how environmental stressors exacerbate existing vulnerabilities.

What Can Family and Friends Do?

Untreated maternal mental illness not only affects the mother but also has profound consequences for the child. Children whose mothers' mental health issues are not addressed are more likely to experience developmental delays, behavioral and cognitive impairments, and require more mental health treatment throughout their lives.

Reach out and listen: A simple "How are you?" from a trusted person can make a big difference.

Provide tangible support: Eating meals, helping with chores, or helping with babycare can ease burdens and build emotional resilience.

Normalize vulnerable conversations: Encouraging honest conversations about mental health can help eliminate stigma.

This crisis isn't about mothers failing, but about institutions and society failing. When 75% of mothers experience poor mental health, it's a red flag that needs attention. We must build a world where maternal mental health is valued, supported, and destigmatized—because nurturing mothers is the foundation of nurturing the next generation.