Bloggers, Mother's Group Band Together to Support Postpartum Depression Legislation

According to a press release, the MOTHERS ACT (The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act) recently introduced in Congress is receiving some high profile support from mother's groups and bloggers.

The legislation was sponsored by Democratic Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). The legislation aims to increase support, education, and screening for postpartum depression. The legislation also has a broader goal of increasing research into the causes of postpartum depression which currently remain mostly a mystery.

The legislation hopes to increase the likelihood that mothers afflicted with PPD will be discovered early by providing two grants for health care providers.

The woman's support group Postpartum Support International, the largest non-profit organization that is solely dedicated to improving perinatal mental health announced on Sunday that it will be collaborating with BlogHer which is a large group of female bloggers, and with Postpartum Progress, which is the main United States blog devoted to issues concerning postpartum mood disorders.

The groups hope to galvanize support for the MOTHERS Act legislation by placing calls to senators on October 24th. The groups also plan to blog about the legislation on that date.

The president of Postpartum Support International made these comments regarding the legislation and call for action: "The good news is that perinatal mood disorders are preventable and easily treated once detected. The MOTHERS Act legislation is key because its initiatives are preventive, educational and treatment oriented. PSI urges you to participate in this important campaign."