One in five mothers across the United States experience postpartum depression, anxiety or other perinatal mental health conditions, yet roughly 75 percent of these cases go untreated. The barriers aren't primarily medical—they're structural: stigma, insufficient awareness, gaps in screening and the persistent cultural myth that new mothers should endure their struggles in silence.
The Ad Council's newly launched "The Secret to Motherhood" campaign represents a significant step toward changing that narrative, though experts say systemic solutions will be required to truly close the treatment gap.
The campaign, which debuted Oct. 1, centers on a simple message: postpartum struggles are normal, common and treatable. Supported by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Huntsman Mental Health Foundation, Merck for Mothers and the Perigee Fund, the initiative uses relatable storytelling to challenge the pressure mothers feel to appear perfect and fully capable.
The creative work—developed pro bono by Mischief USA—refuses the glossy mythology of motherhood. Instead, it names the difficult emotions, self-doubt and mental health challenges that many new mothers experience but rarely discuss openly.
Bianca Guimaraes, founding partner and executive creative director at Mischief, shared her own experience: after giving birth, she walked through parks for hours each day, struggling with postpartum depression and unable to articulate the disconnect between loving her children deeply and struggling deeply at the same time.
"Those were thoughts I didn't feel like I could say out loud," she reflected. "That's what this work is about: the thoughts we hide because they don't sound like what a new mother is supposed to feel."
Her candor illustrates why destigmatization matters. When mothers internalize shame around their mental health, they delay seeking help—a delay that can have serious consequences.
The CDC identifies maternal mental health conditions as the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, underscoring that this is not merely a wellness issue but a public health emergency.
The campaign launches with a suite of public service announcements across broadcast television, digital video, radio, out-of-home advertising and social media platforms. Media outlets are donating time and space, and partners including Amazon Ads, iHeartMedia, Pinterest and Reddit are providing pro bono support. The creative is available in both English and Spanish, reflecting an intentional effort to reach diverse populations of mothers.
Central to the campaign is a resource hub at LoveYourMind.com/moms, which connects mothers with expert-vetted mental health tools, practical guidance and information about treatment options.
However, the platform also highlights a deeper question: once mothers recognize they need help and overcome the shame that kept them silent, will they actually be able to access care?
That question points toward the work that must happen beyond messaging. Destigmatization is necessary but insufficient. Solutions require addressing real obstacles mothers face: inadequate maternal mental health screening during prenatal and postpartum visits; insufficient insurance coverage for mental health treatment; chronic shortages of perinatal mental health specialists; and the particular vulnerabilities of Black mothers, low-income mothers and immigrant mothers, who face both higher rates of maternal mental health conditions and greater barriers to accessing culturally competent care.
Dr. Rana Jawish of the Huntsman Mental Health Institute emphasized the treatability of maternal mental health conditions, noting that "stigma, lack of awareness and other barriers keep too many women from getting the care they need." This framing correctly identifies stigma as one barrier among several, not the only one.
Even as the Ad Council's campaign chips away at stigma through storytelling and normalization, policymakers, health systems and insurers must simultaneously work to expand treatment capacity and access.
Lisa Mennet of the Perigee Fund, a clinician specializing in infant and childhood mental health, articulated another dimension of this work: "When we care for a mother's mental health, the benefits reach beyond one person." She highlighted evidence that maternal mental health directly affects infant development, brain formation and the quality of early attachments.
This framing—positioning maternal mental health as foundational to child development rather than a mother's individual problem—has potential to shift how communities and policymakers prioritize these resources.
The campaign's emphasis on early motherhood is strategically sound. The first weeks and months after birth are when perinatal mood and anxiety disorders most commonly emerge and when mothers are most vulnerable but also most visible to healthcare providers.
Integrating mental health screening, support and resources into routine postpartum care rather than treating mental health as separate or supplementary could help catch conditions early, normalize seeking support and link mothers directly to treatment.
What remains to be seen is whether this public awareness effort translates into structural change. Campaigns can shift cultural attitudes, but attitudes alone don't guarantee access.
Mothers in rural areas still face severe shortages of perinatal mental health providers. Uninsured and underinsured mothers still struggle to afford treatment. Racial disparities in maternal mental health outcomes persist, driven not by awareness but by systemic inequities in healthcare quality and trust.
The Ad Council's work is meaningful precisely because it addresses the first obstacle: helping mothers and their families recognize that what they're experiencing is real, common and not a personal failure. That recognition is the foundation upon which everything else must be built.
But addressing the maternal mental health crisis extends far beyond messaging. It requires sustained investment in provider training, insurance reform, equitable access to care and a genuine commitment to treating maternal mental well-being as the public health priority it is. This campaign opens a door. What happens next depends on whether that awareness translates into action.
