Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) include depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), psychosis, and bipolar disorder. It is estimated that up to 50% of people with PMADs go untreated. Fifty percent! Often this is because providers do not catch the warning signs, or parents don’t even know what warning signs to look out for.

With this in mind, I have created a free downloadable checklist for PMADs. This list goes through common symptoms of each of these disorders, and it is a great item to have with you in both pregnancy and postpartum. While this checklist is not a diagnostic tool and cannot be used to diagnose you, it can provide you with the information you may need to contact your medical provider or mental health provider for diagnosis and treatment.

My suggestion is to print this list and tape it to your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, or bedroom door. Even if you are well-versed in PMADs symptoms, having this list readily available may be especially useful during the often chaotic and forgetful early postpartum weeks. You may also want to print out additional copies for your partner(s), friends, family, and others in your community. The more people who know what to look for and how to specifically check in with you in postpartum, the more likely you will be to catch and seek help for whatever mental health challenges you may face.

For a more detailed understanding of each perinatal mood and anxiety disorder and what treatment can look like, you may want to purchase The MaMA Space’s Ultimate Guide to Birth and Postpartum Planning or the truncated Ultimate Guide to Postpartum.