Maternal Mental Health: What are “PMADs”?

“PMADs” is an acronym that stands for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders. Let’s break down what these terms mean.

Perinatal is a time frame- it starts at the moment of conception and goes through the entire first year postpartum. This time frame recognizes that changes occur throughout the whole process of pregnancy and postpartum. From sustaining a pregnancy to growing a baby- these changes impact literally every system in your body. Then are changes that kickstart labor and delivery, postpartum healing, the start of lactation, when your period resumes and when you stop breastfeeding. By using the term “perinatal” professionals are recognizing the profound physical, emotional and identity changes that women experience in this almost two-year time frame.

Mood Disorders are a term that encompasses depression, bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis. You may not always think of a psychotic disorder as being in the category of a mood disorder, but in perinatal mental health, it is usually considered a very specific form of a bipolar mood episode.

Anxiety Disorders include general anxiety, but it also includes OCD and PTSD. These diagnoses may exist prior to pregnancy or they may develop during the perinatal period. Women who previously experienced trauma may be at increased risk of developing PTSD or they may have a return of symptoms during the perinatal people. PTSD symptoms are at increased risk of returning during any major life change, even when it’s a joyful or planned change.

The term “disorder” is also important to define. It means that people are suffering and they are not able to function in their lives the way that they need to or want to. Mothers who experience PMADs are not going to be healed by taking a bath one night or getting a single massage. They do need breaks and time for themselves and increased support, but they also need guidance and treatment with a specialist.

With treatment, women can start to feel like themselves again. Women deserve an experienced mental health professional during the perinatal time period because symptoms can look different, the causes are different and the treatment can be different.