Requires DOH to establish public awareness campaign and develop policies and procedures to promote recognition and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.*

A947 1R

[First Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 947

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY

District 7 (Burlington)

Assemblywoman ALIXON COLLAZOS-GILL

District 27 (Essex and Passaic)

Assemblyman� ANTHONY ANGELOZZI

District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman Dunn, Assemblyman Venezia, Assemblywomen
Flynn, Speight, Park, Peterpaul and Donlon

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DOH to establish public awareness campaign
and develop policies and procedures to promote recognition and treatment of
perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As reported by the Assembly Health Committee on March
9, 2026, with amendments.

��

An Act
concerning perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
and
supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that:

���� a.���� Perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
is a
level of unhealthy distress that may be experienced by a woman either during
pregnancy, or within the first year following childbirth.

���� b.��� According to the New
Jersey Department of Health, approximately six percent of pregnant women and 10
percent of postpartum women experience perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
, and
this disorder can occur on its own or in conjunction with, or as a precursor
to, symptoms of depression.

���� c.���� An untreated anxiety
disorder can often put a person at increased risk for future problems with
anxiety and depression, and there is a growing body of literature indicating
that perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
may
also affect pregnancy outcomes.

���� d.��� Symptoms of perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
range
from mild to severe, and may include constant and uncontrollable worry, racing
thoughts, mental rumination, foreboding thoughts or imagery, loss of appetite,
sleep disturbance, irritability, edginess or an inability to sit still, muscle
tension or twitching, back or neck pain, tightening of the chest or throat,
shallow breathing, difficulty concentrating or focusing, forgetfulness,
dizziness, increased heart rate, hot flashes, nausea, and panic attacks.

���� e.���� The symptoms of
perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
not
only reduce a woman�s ability to enjoy her pregnancy and childbirth
experiences, but may also have a negative impact on a woman�s actions or
behaviors, such as by causing the woman to: avoid certain situations,
activities, places, or people; attempt to over-control situations; seek
constant reassurance from others; engage in obsessive or compulsive behavior;
or react with excessive vigilance in relation to potential or imagined dangers.

���� f.���� The exact causes of
perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
are
unknown, but various factors may contribute to development of this disorder,
such as changes in hormone levels; a personal or family medical history that
includes prior diagnoses for mental disorders or perinatal mood disorders;
difficulties or complications with the current pregnancy or any prior
pregnancies; a high-risk pregnancy or history of prior high-risk pregnancies;
medical problems experienced by the mother, fetus, or infant child either
before, or within the year after, childbirth; a lack of sleep; feelings of
isolation or a perceived loss of freedom stemming from pregnancy or motherhood;
the existence of perfectionist tendencies or personality traits; sudden changes
in routine; or ordinary life stressors such as marital or financial problems.

���� g.��� Perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
can
negatively impact the child and the child�s father, as well as the mother,
since the mother may have exaggerated or irrational responses to real or
imagined threats, may become reclusive or increasingly irritable, or may
demonstrate symptoms that are otherwise detrimental to communication, or that
promote feelings of anxiety in others.

���� h.��� Perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
may be
dismissed by the woman suffering from the disorder, and by those around her, as
ordinary maternal worry, or may be thought to be self-induced or
self-controllable.

���� i.���� Perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
has
been called �the hidden disorder� because, despite being more prevalent than
postpartum depression, it is not generally discussed in perinatal consultations
or in the public domain, and is not regularly studied by health care
practitioners or research groups.

���� j.���� If early recognition
and treatment are to occur, perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
should
be discussed in childbirth classes and obstetrical office visits; pregnant
women and new mothers should be screened for the disorder and encouraged to
inform others of their symptoms in the same way as they would for physical
complications; and public education about perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1

should
be enhanced, in order to increase awareness of the disorder, and reduce any
social stigma or obstacles to treatment, which may be associated therewith.

���� k.��� Perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
, even
in its more severe stages, is a highly treatable disorder, and psychotherapy,
increased exercise, and pharmaceutical intervention have each proved to be
effective in reducing or eliminating the symptoms associated therewith.

���� l.����
1
[
There is at
least one evaluation scale, developed by researchers in Western Australia, and
known as the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale (PASS), which has been
recognized for its ability to correctly identify women with anxiety disorders,
and recommended for use by medical professionals in the screening of pregnant
women and new mothers for perinatal anxiety
]
�

According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, many
validated tools are available to screen for perinatal mood and anxiety disorder
1
.

���� m.�� It is imperative that
health care professionals who provide prenatal and postnatal care in the State
have a thorough understanding of perinatal
1
mood and
1
anxiety

1
disorders
1
so that
they can detect, diagnose, and treat this disorder and prevent the most severe
cases.

���� 2.��� a.��������
1
[
The
Commissioner of Health, in conjunction with the State Board of Medical
Examiners and the New Jersey Board of Nursing, shall work with health care
facilities and licensed health care professionals in the State to develop
policies and procedures to effectuate the following requirements concerning
perinatal anxiety:
]
1

���� (1)�� Physicians, nurse
midwives, and other licensed health care professionals who provide prenatal
care shall provide prenatal patients
1
[
and their
family members
]
1

with
1
[
complete
]

evidence-based
1

information
about perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
,
1
[
including the
symptoms of the disorder, methods of coping with the disorder, and a list of
available treatment resources,
]
1

and shall screen prenatal patients
1
[
, at least
once during each trimester of pregnancy,
]
1

for perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders,
as appropriate, using evidence-based clinical practice guidelines
1
.

���� (2)�� All birthing facilities
in the State shall provide
1
[
departing new
mothers and fathers, and, as appropriate, other family members,
]

postpartum
patients
1

with
1
[
complete
]

evidence-based
1
information
about perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
[
, including
the symptoms of the disorder, methods for coping with the disorder, and a list
of available treatment resources
]

disorders
1
.

���� (3)�� Physicians, nurse
midwives, and other licensed health care professionals who provide postnatal
care shall screen new mothers for perinatal
1
mood and
1
anxiety

1
[
prior to their
discharge from the birthing facility, and again at the first few postnatal
check-up visits
]

disorders, as appropriate, using evidence based-clinical practice guidelines
1
.

����
1
[
(4)���������� Physicians,
nurse midwives, and other licensed health care professionals who provide
prenatal or postnatal care shall include fathers and other family members, as
appropriate, in both the education and treatment processes, in order to help
them better understand the nature and causes of perinatal anxiety so that they
can overcome any spillover effects of the disorder and improve their ability to
be supportive of the expecting or new mother.
]
1

���� b.��� Any screening test that
is conducted pursuant to the requirements of this section shall be accomplished

1
[
either
]
1

through
1
[
the use of the
PASS scale described in subsection l. of section 1 of this act, or through the
use of another scale or test that has been approved by the commissioner for
such screening purposes
]

nationally recognized evidence-based treatment practices
1
.

���� c.���� As used in this section
and in P.L.2000, c.167 (C.26:2-175 et seq.), �birthing facility� means any
inpatient or ambulatory health care facility, which is licensed by the
Department of Health, and which provides birthing and newborn care services.

���� 3.��� Provided there is
sufficient funding to effectuate the provisions of this section, either within
the Department of Health or through an appropriation of the Legislature for
this purpose, the Commissioner of Health shall establish a public awareness
campaign to inform the general public about the nature and causes of perinatal
1
mood
and
1

anxiety
1
disorders
1
and
1
[
its
]

their
1
health
implications, including its symptoms
1
[
,
]

and
1
methods
of
1
[
coping with
the disorder, and the most effective means of treatment
]

relieving
symptoms
1

.

���� 4.��� The Commissioner of
Health shall adopt rules and regulations, in accordance with the
�Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), to
implement the provisions of this act and effectuate its purposes.

���� 5.��� This act shall take
effect
1
[
immediately
]

on the
first day of the seventh month next following the date of enactment
1
.