Mental Illness Awareness Week and National Depression Screening Day

In this Mental Health Awareness month, it is important for WIC staff to be aware of the prevalence and impact on health outcomes of maternal and child depression among the WIC population. The WIC nutrition assessment process and referral services lend themselves well to identifying and linking women with or at risk of depression to appropriate services.

What to know – key points

Depression is more than just feeling down or having a bad day and can interfere with normal, everyday functioning.

Anyone can get depressed, and depression can happen at any age and in any type of person and doesn’t feel the same for everyone. Learn more about depression among women.

Many children have fears and worries, including toddlers who may become distressed about being separated from their parents.

Depression can interfere with parenting, potentially leading to problems in the physical health and well-being of children of depressed parents.

Smoking is much more common among adults with mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, than in the general population. Research shows that quitting smoking can improve mental health in the long run.

How WIC can help

Learn more about this important topic and how it can affect your participants, WIC's role for screening women with or at risk for depression, and find education materials with WIC Works’ curated resources on depression and mental health. You can also test your knowledge using CDC’s interactive mental health quiz to see if you can separate fact from fiction, and NAMI’s StigmaFree quiz to see if stigma might affect you.

Share WIC Breastfeeding Support resources such as the Moms Emotional Wellbeing video and Taking Care of You article with moms.

Help raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health and depression by sharing NAMI materials, including infographics and fact sheets.

Encourage participants who smoke to quit and refer them to resources to help them quit, such as free support at 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669), a free app, or a texting program.