Postpartum Depression: What is Being Done?

Isn’t it always a joy to talk about depression? This might be the second blog post in a row about the topic, but it’s a prolific topic of science and mental health that really interests me. And the kind of depression I’ll be bringing some light to today is one that hits closer to home; postpartum depression. It’s a phrase I’d certainly never heard of before until quite recently, and I can safely assume most other people have either never heard of it or just heard the same and nothing more. In summary, postpartum is a depressive mood disorder that occurs in some mothers after childbirth, and can mainly affect how the mother’s bond with their baby along with increased mood swings and anxiety levels. The disorder can often be rather debilitating, which any kind of depression tends to do, and vast amounts of research has been done on the subject.

However, there has recently been some fruits to this labor of research, mainly in the form of a new drug called brexalalone. The drug was recently approved by the FDA, and in clinical trials has shown major success in improving the mood of patients. But as seems to be the case for every new drug being made to counter this awful mental health condition, there are several drawbacks. For this specific drug, the main concerns are the price range; ranging from $20k-$35k, and the amount of time it was to be administered in the hospital; 60 hours via IV drip. Neither of these drawbacks sound specifically appealing, now do they?

However, while optimistically the patient’s insurance will cover the extreme price, considering the state of health insurance coverage and usage in the U.S, this by no means is guaranteed at the moment. As for the 60 hours, I believe that it really speaks to how awful depression is when we can safely assume many people would consider this an extremely viable time when compared to postpartum depression. In any case, hopefully advancements in the near future with this drug and others will further help provide accessible care to many experiencing not only postpartum depression, but also depression in general.