Helplines can help parents in mental health crisis

In April, the White House announced $105 million in funding for community resources to improve maternal and infant health across the country. The money, while not nearly enough to meet the overwhelming need for maternal mental health resources, is a glimmer of hope. Last month, a federal task force to improve maternal mental health released a report that found “unmet need for treatment of maternal mental health conditions and [substance use disorders] has reached a crisis point. Lack of resources for mothers has also led to an increase in preventable deaths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate in the United States is 2 to 3 times that of other high-income countries, and few resources are focused solely on mental health.

“This is a surprise to a lot of people. They tend to think about things that happen in the hospital,” Dr. Michael Warren, associate administrator of the federal Bureau of Maternal and Child Health, told me. Instead, Warren said, the issues including depression, addiction and suicide can arise long after a new mother leaves maternity.For the past two years, Warren and his staff have run the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, 1-833-852-6262, which offers free, confidential support to mothers and their families. So far, the hotline has received 33,000 calls from across the country, and new federal funding will go toward marketing the hotline, so more parents will be aware that it exists, Warren said. “It’s okay to say I can’t do this alone and I need help,” Warren said. “Some people don’t have those support systems.”

But despite this reassurance, many mothers have mental health issues they won’t talk about because the stigma of mental illness is so strong and, culturally, mothers are expected to be able to handle everything and not complain. Some mothers fear that seeking help will lead to their child being taken away from child protective services or that it will lead to a visit from law enforcement. Parents, especially poor and working-class parents of color, have long been “overpoliced” by child protective services, a ProPublica report found. Add to this the added stress of work, the lack of family or community support, and the increased need and cost of childcare, all of which can compound mental health issues.

“The mental health crisis is coming to a head and it’s a difficult time to get services, especially if you’re poor,” said Sarah Brinley, executive director of the Massachusetts-based nonprofit Parents Helping Parents, which operates a 24 -hours anonymous Parent Stress Line to help parents in crisis (1-800-632-8188). Some calls involve parents “crying on the phone, where they can hardly breathe,” Brinley told me. “We get calls about people waiting for help to come to them for their depression, or they call because they have a child who is being bullied, cut or abused.” For some callers, the hotline, which is free, may be the only help they can afford to get in. “Even for people who have insurance there’s a long waiting list, or some providers don’t take it,” Brinley said. “Who’s going to pay $250 an hour for a therapist?”

But even mothers who have access to insurance say they, too, need better resources to address maternal mental health, including past the postpartum stage. One mother I spoke to recalled having suicidal thoughts and going to her local hospital for psychiatric treatment. The pressure of parenting, being a wife, caring for elderly family members and working full-time led her to have what she described as a breakdown. But what worried her was the lack of awareness from health care practitioners about what led to her collapse. “There was no program to sit me down and say, ‘You’re a mom who’s going through a tremendous amount of stress,'” she said.

That’s why it’s essential to have resources like the Parenting Stress Line and the National Maternal Mental Health Line that are free and available around the clock. I’m glad these hotlines exist because I know firsthand how treacherous it can be to reach out for support as a mom, especially if you’re a parent in crisis. It is important to note that these hotlines are there to provide emotional support, but are also equipped to make what they call a “warm” transfer to a crisis hotline such as 988, the national suicide and crisis line. , if the parent is experiencing. suicidal ideation or a severe mental breakdown.

On the other hand, Brinley said her hotline also takes referrals from the national 211 hotline, which offers help to people struggling with everything from paying bills to their mental health. At least half of the people calling the Massachusetts-based hotline are calling from other states. “We want to be that bridge,” Brinley said. “We try to prevent that crisis, to get you to a place where hopefully you’ll have a plan with what you’re going to do.” And for parents who feel guilty about having to make a phone call, Brinley offers this advice: “Just the fact that you called us, it already shows how much you love your child.”

Parenting is hard. Parents should know that in times of crisis, help is just a phone call away.

Tanzina Vega is a journalist whose work focuses on inequality. She is a Globe Opinion contributing writer.