Alicia Mittleman, LCSW, PMH-C, Doctoral Candidate
West Sacramento, 95691
I have witnessed firsthand the damage that can be done by inadequately trained clinicians with this population. When I worked for child protective services, I had a case involving a baby with a birth injury that was initially suspected to be abuse. The mother’s behavior raised red flags among hospital staff, particularly her apathetic presentation toward her baby. After later becoming trained in perinatal mental health, I realized that this mother, and many others I worked with, were experiencing untreated perinatal mental health concerns. I highlight this case because the mother spent an entire year in mandated court reunification services with her baby removed, when what she actually needed was postpartum depression treatment.
Before receiving this training, I did not recognize perinatal mental illness, and I can now identify countless cases of misdiagnosis, including a mother hospitalized and treated for schizophrenia after disclosing intrusive thoughts of harming her baby. She was separated from her infant for a month and prescribed antipsychotics for years before receiving an accurate diagnosis.
Undiagnosed and untreated perinatal mental health conditions lead to devastating, preventable outcomes. Every licensed clinician must have a basic understanding of perinatal mental health. This is a public health crisis, and California has the opportunity to lead meaningful change.
