We hope everybody is settling into the New Year! Here’s a look back at what happened in 2025:
We Launched a New Podcast: So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs
We created “So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs” – a podcast where real moms can bring their toughest maternal and mental health questions to top experts and get real, evidence-based answers and actionable resources.
We had over 5,000 downloads and 1,000 followers in the first season.
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Follow So Glad You Asked on Instagram and Facebook, and sign up for the SGYA Newsletter to get a sneak peek of Season 2!
Update on the More Than Blue Documentary
More Than Blue is a powerful documentary that sheds light on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Through expert insights and personal experiences, the film aims to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and highlight the importance of comprehensive mental health care during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
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We are excited to announce our collaboration with ROCO Films, a leading distributor of award-winning documentaries, to bring More Than Blue to audiences around the globe through an international screening campaign.
Sign up to host a screening and bring More Than Blue to your community.
MGHP3: The Largest Cohort of Women with Postpartum Psychosis in the World!
The MGH Postpartum Psychosis Project (mghp3.org) is studying the largest global cohort of women with postpartum psychosis, with nearly 500 participants enrolled. The project is currently investigating the treatment and long-term course of postpartum psychosis, while contributing to advocacy efforts to reduce stigma of this illness.
Watch the trailer for our digital storytelling project. If you or your patient would like to participate in MGHP3, contact our team.
The National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications Hits a Recruitment Milestone
Since 2008, the National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications has followed women who are taking psychiatric medications during pregnancy to increase available data on the use of medications during pregnancy. This year we have officially hit 4,000 participants! Thank you to all those who have taken the time to participate.
Providers: If you would like to learn more about the National Pregnancy Registry and how to refer patients to the study, you may fill out the Clinician Interest Form. Once registered, our research staff will send you additional information.
Participants: If you are pregnant and taking psychiatric medication, you are eligible to enroll! Fill out our Interest Form!
Introducing the Psychiatry Collective and the NP Masterclass
After 5 years of Virtual Rounds at the Center, we launched the Psychiatry Collective and the Nurse Practitioner Masterclass tailored to psychiatrists and nurse practitioners. Led by renowned MGH faculty, these programs offer advanced didactics, case-based learning, and a meaningful professional community dedicated to furthering the field of women’s mental health.
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CWMH Director Lee Cohen, MD Testifies in Support of Bill Prioritizing Treatment Over Punishment for Mothers with Postpartum Psychiatric Illness
In October 2025, CWMH Director Dr. Lee S. Cohen testified before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary in support of an Act relative to the well-being of new mothers and infants (H.1924/S.1171). If enacted, the bill would position Massachusetts as only the second state in the nation to prioritize treatment over punishment for birthing people with acute Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, including postpartum psychosis, who become involved in the criminal justice system. You can watch his testimony and learn more about the bill.
Information for Patients: How to Interpret the Recent FDA Panel on SSRIs and Pregnancy
The FDA’s July 2025 Expert Panel on SSRIs and Pregnancy raised concerns regarding the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy and failed to provide a balanced view of the risks associated with the use of SSRIs during pregnancy and ignoring or diminishing the risks associated with untreated depression in the mother. We have provided information to help clinicians and providers make informed decisions regarding the use of SSRIs during pregnancy.
Explore Our New Resource Hub, A Comprehensive Resource for Patients and Providers
The Research Hub is a curated source of the latest research, clinical insights, and practical tools for moms and providers. In 2026, we will continue to build out this feature. So far, we have a hub for Sleep Challenges and another for Bipolar Disorder and Pregnancy.
Highlighted Posts from 2025
Clinical Update 2025: Recommendations on the Use of Antidepressants in Women Taking Tamoxifen
While some antidepressants may affect the metabolism of tamoxifen into its active form, many antidepressants can be used safely in this population.
CBT Intervention Delivered by Non-Specialist Providers Significantly Reduces Risk of Postpartum Depression
The Healthy Mother – Healthy Baby intervention delivered by non-specialists cuts postpartum depression risk by 81% through anxiety-focused care.
Task-Sharing: A Behavioral Activation Intervention for Perinatal Depression Could Expand Access to Care
Behavioral activation intervention, whether delivered by specialists or non-specialists, was effective for the treatment of perinatal depression and anxiety.
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Read Our 2025 Publications:
Fung, K., Straub, L., Bateman, B. T., Hernandez-Diaz, S., Brill, G., Zhu, Y., Cohen, L. S., Gray, K. J., & Huybrechts, K. F. (2025). Z-Drug Use in the First Trimester of Pregnancy and Risk of Congenital Malformations. JAMA psychiatry, e253874. Advance online publication.
Vanderkruik, R., Falkenstein, M. J., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2025). Exposure Therapy for Perinatal OCD: Navigating Evidence and Discomfort. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 87(1), 25l16145.
Vanderkruik, R., Frisch, C. M., Woodworth, E. C., Scharner, S., Bartels, S. J., Freeman, M. P., Cohen, L. S., & Stice, E. (2025). The pregnant body project pilot RCT protocol: Preventing disordered eating behaviors in high-risk pregnant individuals. Contemporary clinical trials, 156, 108039.
Huang, A. K., Vanderkruik, R., Mita, C., Argueta, S., & Bartels, S. J. (2025). Applications of implementation science (IS) in learning health systems (LHS): a scoping review protocol. BMJ open, 15(8), e101596.
Goldberg, J. F., Swartz, H. A., Mago, R., McIntyre, R. S., Malhi, G. S., Rosenblat, J. D., Freeman, M. P., Vieta, E., Thase, M. E., Tohen, M., & Citrome, L. (2025). What Is Meant by the Term “Deprescribing,” and Does It Belong in Our Lexicon?. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 86(4), 25ac15936.
Cohen, L. S., Arakelian, M., Church, T. R., Dunk, M. M., Gaw, M. L., Yoon, H. E., Kobylski, L. A., Vanderkruik, R., & Freeman, M. P. (2025). The phenomenology of postpartum psychosis: preliminary findings from the Massachusetts General Hospital Postpartum Psychosis Project. Molecular psychiatry, 30(6), 2537–2544.
Vanderkruik, R., Freeman, M. P., Gaw, M., Reuman, A. R. L., Verghese, M., Louis, C. C., Jellinek, M., Bartels, S., & Cohen, L. S. (2025). A mixed-methods study protocol: Perinatal depression screening systems and outcomes in obstetrics clinics. PloS one, 20(3), e0319181.
Snorrason, I., Hoeppner, S. S., Klare, D., Weingarden, H., Greenberg, J. L., Berger-Gutierrez, R. M., Bernstein, E. E., Vanderkruik, R. C., Harrison, O., & Wilhelm, S. (2025). Long-term outcomes of smartphone-delivered cognitive behavior therapy for body dysmorphic disorder: A one-year naturalistic follow-up. Internet interventions, 39, 100803.
Vanderkruik, R., Woodworth, E. C., Frisch, C. M., Nelson, S., Dunk, M. M., Freeman, M. P., Cohen, L. S., Stice, E., & Bartels, S. J. (2025). Application of implementation science frameworks to inform the adaptation process of an evidence-based eating disorder prevention program for high-risk perinatal individuals. Implementation research and practice, 6, 26334895251319811.
Hamlett, G. E., Schrader, C., Ferguson, C., Kobylski, L. A., Picard, R., Locascio, J. J., McNally, R. J., Cohen, L. S., & Vanderkruik, R. (2025). Considering Comorbidities and Individual Differences in Testing a Gaming Behavioral Activation App for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety: Open Trial Pilot Intervention Study. JMIR formative research, 9, e59154.
