Maternal Mental Health Concerns in South Carolina
Approximately one in seven women experience a perinatal mood disorder during pregnancy or within the year following. In South Carolina, about 14% of women suffer from depression during or after pregnancy. Postpartum depression is a common type of maternal mental health mood disorder, specifically occurring in the postpartum and perinatal periods.
Mental health conditions and substance use disorders are ranked as the second leading cause of maternal deaths in South Carolina by the South Carolina Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee. Suicide and overdose are identified as leading causes of maternal death in the state.
MUSC’s Response to Maternal Mental Health
Dr. Kristen Rice Moore, a psychiatrist in the Women’s Reproductive Behavioral Health Division at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), is involved in efforts to address these issues. The MUSC Mom’s IMPACTT program serves the entire state of South Carolina, connecting pregnant individuals or those within 12 months postpartum who are experiencing mental health issues with a psychiatrist and a psychologist. The Medical University of South Carolina’s radio studio is located in Charleston.
