Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of child birth and may have devastating consequences for a woman and her family. It is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of women experience postpartum depression following childbirth.

PegCityLovely chats with Dr. Samantha Meltzer-Brody, Associate Professor, Associate Chair for Faculty Development and Director of the Perinatal Psychiatry Program at University of North Carolina (UNC) Center for Women’s Mood Disorders at UNC Chapel Hill.

Dr. Meltzer-Brody is a co-creater of the new app PPD ACT.

With PPD ACT, women have the opportunity to:
- Take a clinically screened survey to evaluate risk for PPD
- Receive responses on whether she is (or was) suffering from mild to severe symptoms of PPD
- Obtain resources for those struggling with PPD
- Participate in study by providing a saliva sample using a “spit kit” (provided through the mail to U.S. participants by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) **only applicable to some women, based on score
- Provide DNA samples so that researchers can study the genes of those impacted by PPD