United States Faces Nationwide Shortage of Inpatient Perinatal Psychiatric Units

A national directory maintained by Postpartum Support International lists only five inpatient perinatal psychiatric programs in the United States—located in Little Rock, Arkansas; Mountain View, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Glen Oaks, New York; and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Forty‑five states have none, leaving most parents experiencing severe perinatal mental illness without specialized care and often placed in general psychiatric units far from home.

Recent clinical observations have heightened concern. Dr. Uruj Kamal Haider, medical director of the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program for Moms, reported that 6 % of her postpartum patients met criteria for a psychotic disorder over an eight‑week period, a rate six times higher than typical estimates. A separate analysis of more than 12 million deliveries published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology also found rising postpartum psychosis diagnoses between 2016 and 2019. Ongoing research initiatives, such as the MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health’s postpartum psychosis project, continue to investigate genetic, clinical, and psychosocial factors to improve detection and treatment.