Helping Depressed Low-Income Mothers Give Their Young Children a Good Start

Free forum

Panelists

• Olivia Golden, Institute fellow, Urban Institute (moderator)
• Larke Huang, senior adviser, Office of Policy Planning and Innovation, and director, Office of Behavioral Health Equity, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Marla McDaniel, senior research associate, Center on Labor, Human Services, and Population, Urban Institute
• Deborah Perry, associate professor, Center for Child and Human Development, Georgetown University

Almost 9 percent of low-income mothers with young children experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. Even though depression is one of the most treatable mental illnesses, more than one-third of these women received no treatment.

Untreated parental depression poses risks for children’s cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral development. It also raises the likelihood of abuse and neglect. Linking mothers with effective treatment for depression has the potential to help parents and improve children’s lives.

An important obstacle to effective treatment for low-income mothers is lack of insurance. But starting in 2014, Medicaid will cover many more low-income adults, creating potential pathways to treatment.

Join our discussion about maternal depression as a public health issue, the problems in providing services to low-income women with depression, and emerging opportunities.

Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. 

To watch the live video webcast or a recording, go to

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/urban-institute-events. (No registration necessary.)