Today we have Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody on The Mag. Dr. Meltzer-Brody is not only an accomplished psychiatrist and an important part of the innovative app Mom Genes Fight PPD, she’s also an expert on postpartum depression and doing incredible work in her field for women everywhere.

Please introduce yourself and the Mom Genes Fight PPD cause.

I’m Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, MD, MPH, the co-principal investigator of the Mom Genes Fight PPD research study as well as chair of the UNC Department of Psychiatry and Director of the UNC Center for Women's mood disorders. Our research is focused on understanding the genetic signature of postpartum depression (PPD). Using their smartphone, moms who have had PPD symptoms can participate in the study free of charge by downloading our app, taking the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale survey and if they qualify they will be sent a spit kit to complete and mail back in a pre-paid envelope. We want to understand what causes some women to have postpartum depression and others not. The hope is that by understanding the genetic signature, we can change the way we diagnose women and the way we treat women to prevent suffering.

What inspired you to focus on this specific cause?

As a perinatal psychiatrist and for any of us who work in the area of maternal mental health, it’s frustrating that we often don't have the ability to prevent this type of suffering. And I think all of us hope that by identifying people at risk we can intervene earlier. We developed this first of its kind study, and the largest study with an international consortium of researchers and we hope this effort will positively impact women around the world.

Not every mom realizes they experienced PPD - what are the top signs to look for?

The symptoms can vary in severity, but many women feel more emotional. They have a lot of anxiety and cry often. They might not be enjoying the baby and being able to sleep even when the baby is sleeping. Feeling overwhelmed by the demands of having a new baby, or seeing a change in their ability to function. If someone starts feeling like “this is just so hard and I just don't feel I'm able to do this at all” and it's not just a passing thought. Those are all warning signs. Every single mom who’s having symptoms that are concerning to them and those around them deserves to be screened and deserves to make sure she gets extra help and especially during this really challenging time.

For those who’d like to know more or get involved, what’s the process like? Where can they learn more?

If you are a mom who’s experienced PPD symptoms, no matter how long ago they occurred, you can participate by downloading the Mom Genes Fight PPD app for iPhone or Android. You’ll go through a series of questions that will determine whether your symptoms qualify you to submit a DNA sample via an easy, safe and anonymous, at-home spit kit.

For those who just want to be involved in the cause in other non-clinical ways, what can they do?

To complete this work we need 100,000 samples, so the more moms who learn about the study the closer we can get. Even if you have not experienced postpartum depression yourself and even if you’re not a mom, we hope you’ll spread the word to help us reach this goal.

Anything else you’d like to add?

It is so important that mothers who are suffering reach out and get help. No one should suffer in silence.

And finally, where can we find you?

Website: www.momgenesfightppd.org

Instagram/social: @momgenesfightppd