If you’re a mom looking for a mental health care provider, you may have already discovered what so many of us have: the shortage is desperate, and this is compounded by the growing number of moms in crisis.
Another compounding factor? Fellow moms, our physical health, as a group, is declining too.
The latest statistics show that only 23.9% of moms say they’re in excellent physical health (down from 28% in 2016), and the group of moms reporting that their mental health is thriving has dropped from 38.4% to 25.8%.
Mental & Physical Health Is Declining For All Parents
This isn’t only a mom problem, either.
The study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), notes that the mental and physical health of dads is also in decline, but for moms, the numbers are hitting crisis levels.
“We found consistently worse health status among mothers compared to fathers, particularly for fair/poor mental health, which was reported by 1 in 12 female parents (8.5%) in 2023 compared to only 1 in 22 male parents (4.5%)”
One factor in this may be hinted at by the fact that fewer survey respondents were men — more than twice as many respondents were either “biological, step, foster, or adoptive female parents” as their male counterparts, with a small percentage being other relatives or of unknown relation.
Why The Focus On Parental Mental Health?
The new report acknowledges that there are widespread decreases in mental health in working-age adults. Still, there are additional concerns when mental health problems affect parents, and in moms, it has hit a crisis level.
While every person deserves to have a healthy mental state and access to the resources to improve their mental health, when parents have mental health struggles, the result can be a ripple effect, resulting in a generational cycle. Neglecting parental mental health can impact not only those individuals but society for generations.
Why Are Moms So Heavily Affected?
The survey does not ask respondents why their mental health is in rough shape, or for details about their mental health struggles, so this specific study does not hold answers to the causes.
We do have some data about it from other sources, though.
For instance, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health notes that about 1 in 5 families is affected by mental health disorders that specifically arise during pregnancy or the postpartum period, like postpartum depression, anxiety, and psychosis, and they often go untreated.
(Side note: these conditions can arise months or even a year after giving birth. Moms who rely on Medicaid during their pregnancy may not have access to healthcare after their baby is born, although legislation passed in 2021 gave states the option to extend Medicaid to cover a full year after giving birth. Not all states accepted the offer — in North Carolina, for instance, Medicaid only covers a mom for 60 days after giving birth.)
We also know that, even in 2025, mothers carry the majority of the mental load — 71%, according to Neuroscience News.
The primary caregiver tends to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and in the majority of households, that still means the mom.
Location Can Also Be A Factor
A study released by the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health earlier this year found that there are around 150 counties in the U.S. that have especially poor maternal mental health outcomes.
The study found a list of factors that made some counties particularly high-risk for maternal mental health:
“Among the counties in the ‘severe risk’ category, risk increased in the measures related to domestic violence, lack of emotional support, parental unemployment, poverty, low educational attainment, high rates of unintended pregnancy, single-motherhood, teen births, preterm births, self-reported poor mental health, and struggles coping with child-rearing.”
So, There’s A Crisis, What Can We Do About It?
The crisis can be addressed at three levels: individual, societal, and policy.
As an individual, every person can seek mental health care when it’s needed and take steps to reduce stigma around mental health care. We can offer support to the moms in our lives, including both emotional support and, when possible, practical support, like preparing meals or holding the baby so mom can get some rest.
On a societal level, we need to all rally around moms. Workplaces should offer accommodations, including flexible schedules and parental leave, to support employees’ needs. Communities, churches, and educational organizations can offer support groups, and healthcare providers can educate their staff on parental burnout and maternal mental health.
On a policy level, we can all contact our legislators and urge them to advocate for policies that will help mitigate this crisis, such as funding mental health access, mandating parental leave and postpartum care coverage, and protecting and supporting affordable childcare options.