And, of women who screen positive for the condition, 78% don’t get mental health treatment, according to a 2015 research review published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Dr. Sirott said her patients give a range of reasons why they don’t take her up on a referral to a psychologist: “ ‘Oh, they don’t take my insurance.’ Or ‘my insurance pays for three visits.’ ‘I can’t take time off work to go to those visits.’ ‘It’s a 3-month wait to get in to that person.’ ”
She said it’s also hard to find a psychiatrist who is willing to treat them and who is trained in the complexities of prescribing medications to pregnant or breastfeeding women, especially in rural areas.
“So it’s very frustrating,” Dr. Sirott said, “to ask patients about a problem and then not have any way to solve that problem.”