IB 
Union Calendar No. 232 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 20 
[Report No. 110–375] 
To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, postpartum 
depression and psychosis. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 4, 2007 
Mr. RUSH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Energy and Commerce 
OCTOBER 15, 2007 
Additional sponsors: Mr. JINDAL, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. ALLEN, Mrs. CAPPS, 
Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, Ms. 
SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. 
WEXLER, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. MOORE 
of Wisconsin, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. PICK-
ERING, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. AL GREEN of 
Texas, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Ms. SOLIS, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. 
TOWNS, Mr. DAVIS of Alabama, Mr. CLAY, Ms. CLARKE, Mr. CLEAVER, 
Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. RAHALL, Mr. 
PASTOR, Mr. BECERRA, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California, Mr. BOS-
WELL, Ms. WATSON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 
MEEKS of New York, Mr. WYNN, Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Ms. 
VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. GENE 
GREEN of Texas, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. REYES, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. JEF-
FERSON, Mr. SKELTON, Ms. LEE, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. 
MCNULTY, Mr. MICHAUD, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. KILDEE, Mr. 
PAYNE, Mr. STUPAK, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Mr. 
BARTON of Texas, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. UPTON, Mrs. BONO, Mr. MACK, 
Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. 
DEAL of Georgia, Ms. HARMAN, Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN, Mr. ROSS, Mr. 
ENGEL, Mr. BAIRD, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut, 
Ms. MATSUI, Mr. WALZ of Minnesota, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. COHEN, 
Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. BISHOP 
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of Georgia, Ms. WATERS, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. 
MEEK of Florida, Mr. WATT, Mr. RANGEL, Ms. CARSON, Mr. STARK, 
Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. HOOLEY, Ms. DEGETTE, Mr. 
WEINER, Mr. MATHESON, Mr. BRALEY of Iowa, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 
PERLMUTTER, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. 
HARE, Mr. BOOZMAN, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. FARR, 
Mr. SIRES, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. 
COSTELLO, Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. BOYDA of Kansas, Mr. 
TIERNEY, Ms. BEAN, Mr. PITTS, Mr. MEEHAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, 
Ms. SUTTON, Mr. HONDA, and Mr. MANZULLO 
OCTOBER 15, 2007 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 4, 2007] 
A BILL 
To provide for research on, and services for individuals with, 
postpartum depression and psychosis. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Melanie Blocker-Stokes 
Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Postpartum depression is a devastating mood 
disorder which strikes many women during and after 
pregnancy. 
(2) Postpartum mood changes are common and 
can be broken into three subgroups: ‘‘baby blues’’, 
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which is an extremely common and the less severe 
form of postpartum depression; postpartum mood and 
anxiety disorders, which are more severe than baby 
blues and can occur during pregnancy and anytime 
within the first year of the infant’s birth; and 
postpartum psychosis, which is the most extreme form 
of postpartum depression and can occur during preg-
nancy and up to 12 months after delivery. 
(3) ‘‘Baby blues’’ is characterized by mood 
swings, feelings of being overwhelmed, tearfulness, ir-
ritability, poor sleep, mood changes, and a sense of 
vulnerability. 
(4) The symptoms of postpartum mood and anx-
iety disorders are the worsening and the continuation 
of the baby blues beyond the first days or weeks after 
delivery. 
(5) The symptoms of postpartum psychosis in-
clude losing touch with reality, distorted thinking, de-
lusions, auditory hallucinations, paranoia, hyper-
activity, and rapid speech or mania. 
(6) Each year over 400,000 women suffer from 
postpartum mood changes, with baby blues afflicting 
up to 80 percent of new mothers; postpartum mood 
and anxiety disorders impairing around 10 to 20 
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percent of new mothers; and postpartum psychosis 
striking 1 in 1,000 new mothers. 
(7) Postpartum depression is a treatable disorder 
if promptly diagnosed by a trained provider and at-
tended to with a personalized regimen of care includ-
ing social support, therapy, medication, and when 
necessary hospitalization. 
(8) All too often postpartum depression goes 
undiagnosed or untreated due to the social stigma 
surrounding depression and mental illness, the myth 
of motherhood, the new mother’s inability to self-diag-
nose her condition, the new mother’s shame or embar-
rassment over discussing her depression so near to the 
birth of her child, the lack of understanding in society 
and the medical community of the complexity of 
postpartum depression, and economic pressures placed 
on hospitals and providers. 
(9) Untreated, postpartum depression can lead to 
further depression, substance abuse, loss of employ-
ment, divorce and further social alienation, self-de-
structive behavior, or even suicide. 
(10) Untreated, postpartum depression impacts 
society through its effect on the infant’s physical and 
psychological development, child abuse, neglect, or 
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death of the infant or other siblings, and the disrup-
tion of the family. 
TITLE 
I—RESEARCH 
ON 
POSTPARTUM 
DEPRESSION 
AND PSYCHOSIS 
SEC. 101. EXPANSION AND INTENSIFICATION OF ACTIVI-
TIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, acting through the Director of the Na-
tional Institutes of Health and the Director of the National 
Institute of Mental Health (in this title referred to as the 
‘‘Institute’’), is encouraged to continue aggressive work on 
postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER INSTITUTES.—The 
Director of the Institute should continue to coordinate ac-
tivities of the Director under subsection (a) with similar 
activities conducted by the other national research institutes 
and agencies of the National Institutes of Health to the ex-
tent that such Institutes and agencies have responsibilities 
that are related to postpartum conditions. 
(c) PROGRAMS FOR POSTPARTUM CONDITIONS.—In 
carrying out subsection (a), the Director of the Institute is 
encouraged to continue research to expand the under-
standing of the causes of, and to find a cure for, postpartum 
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conditions. Activities under such subsection shall include 
conducting and supporting the following: 
(1) Basic research concerning the etiology and 
causes of the conditions. 
(2) Epidemiological studies to address the fre-
quency and natural history of the conditions and the 
differences among racial and ethnic groups with re-
spect to the conditions. 
(3) The development of improved screening and 
diagnostic techniques. 
(4) Clinical research for the development and 
evaluation of new treatments, including new biologi-
cal agents. 
(5) Information and education programs for 
health care professionals and the public. 
SEC. 102. NATIONAL PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National Insti-
tutes of Health and the Administrator of the Health Re-
sources and Services Administration are encouraged to 
carry out a coordinated national campaign to increase the 
awareness and knowledge of postpartum depression and 
postpartum psychosis. 
(b) PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS.—Activities 
under the national campaign under subsection (a) may in-
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clude public service announcements through television, 
radio, and other means. 
SEC. 103. BIENNIAL REPORTING. 
Section 403(a)(5) of the Public Health Service Act (42 
U.S.C. 283(a)(5)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subparagraph (L) as sub-
paragraph (M); and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (K) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(L) Depression.’’. 
SEC. 104. LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF RELATIVE MENTAL 
HEALTH CONSEQUENCES FOR WOMEN OF RE-
SOLVING A PREGNANCY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that the Director of the Institute may conduct a nationally 
representative longitudinal study (during the period of fis-
cal years 2008 through 2018) of the relative mental health 
consequences for women of resolving a pregnancy (intended 
and unintended) in various ways, including carrying the 
pregnancy to term and parenting the child, carrying the 
pregnancy to term and placing the child for adoption, mis-
carriage, and having an abortion. This study may assess 
the incidence, timing, magnitude, and duration of the im-
mediate and long-term mental health consequences (positive 
or negative) of these pregnancy outcomes. 
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(b) REPORT.—Beginning not later than 3 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, and periodically there-
after for the duration of the study under subsection (a), the 
Director of the Institute should prepare and submit to the 
Congress reports on the findings of the study. 
TITLE II—DELIVERY OF SERV-
ICES 
REGARDING 
POSTPARTUM 
DEPRESSION 
AND PSYCHOSIS 
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM OF GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in this title referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’) should in accordance with this title make grants 
to provide for projects for the establishment, operation, and 
coordination of effective and cost-efficient systems for the 
delivery of essential services to individuals with postpartum 
depression or postpartum psychosis (referred to in this sec-
tion as a ‘‘postpartum condition’’) and their families. 
(b) RECIPIENTS OF GRANTS.—A grant under sub-
section (a) may be made to an entity only if the entity 
is a public or nonprofit private entity, which may include 
a State or local government; a public or nonprofit private 
hospital, community-based organization, hospice, ambula-
tory care facility, community health center, migrant health 
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center, or homeless health center; or any other appropriate 
public or nonprofit private entity. 
(c) CERTAIN ACTIVITIES.—To the extent practicable 
and appropriate, the Secretary shall ensure that projects 
under subsection (a) provide services for the diagnosis and 
management of postpartum conditions. Activities that the 
Secretary may authorize for such projects may also include 
the following: 
(1) Delivering or enhancing outpatient and 
home-based health and support services, including 
case management, screening, and comprehensive treat-
ment services for individuals with or at risk for 
postpartum conditions; and delivering or enhancing 
support services for their families. 
(2) Delivering or enhancing inpatient care man-
agement services that ensure the well-being of the 
mother and family and the future development of the 
infant. 
(3) Improving the quality, availability, and or-
ganization of health care and support services (in-
cluding transportation services, attendant care, home-
maker services, day or respite care, and providing 
counseling on financial assistance and insurance) for 
individuals with postpartum conditions and support 
services for their families. 
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(d) INTEGRATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS.—To the 
extent practicable and appropriate, the Secretary should in-
tegrate the program under this title with other grant pro-
grams carried out by the Secretary, including the program 
under section 330 of the Public Health Service Act. 
SEC. 202. CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS. 
A grant may be made under section 201 only if the 
applicant involved makes the following agreements: 
(1) Not more than 5 percent of the grant will be 
used for administration, accounting, reporting, and 
program oversight functions. 
(2) The grant will be used to supplement and not 
supplant funds from other sources related to the treat-
ment of postpartum conditions. 
(3) The applicant will abide by any limitations 
deemed appropriate by the Secretary on any charges 
to individuals receiving services pursuant to the 
grant. As deemed appropriate by the Secretary, such 
limitations on charges may vary based on the finan-
cial circumstances of the individual receiving services. 
(4) The grant will not be expended to make pay-
ment for services authorized under section 201(a) to 
the extent that payment has been made, or can rea-
sonably be expected to be made, with respect to such 
services— 
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