Nine Lives, One Opinion.

This week, my feminist cats talk the state of moms and mental health.

Farzad: Scrolling the latest headlines on his tablet. Farnoush… did you see this? A big new study just said moms’ mental health has plummeted since 2016.

Farnoush: Let’s out a low growl. I did. The numbers are heartbreaking, Farzad. Back in 2016, about 1 in 20 moms said their mental health was poor or fair. Now? It’s 1 in 12.

Farzad: That’s a huge jump. Why is this happening?

Farnoush: So many reasons. The study pointed out that moms who are single parents, or whose kids have Medicaid or no insurance, have seen some of the steepest declines. That’s layered on top of burnout, economic stress, and an almost nonexistent safety net.