Agula -Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Depression

1 in 7 women who give birth this year will suffer from depression. At least 27,000 Israeli women have had maternal depression this year. Among Arab and ultra-orthodox women, the numbers are even higher. Only 15% of those affected are properly treated. Not many therapists know where to refer and what to do if the mother is in a poor state of mind. People don’t like to talk about it, as it’s not a fun or light conversation.

The first few months after birth are critical for normal development later in life, and when the mother suffers from depression, the financial, health, and development costs are very high. Kamil experienced this firsthand, after the difficult birth of her son when she had noone to turn to for support. Not wanting anyone to feel as alone as she had, she created Agula.

Agula makes it easier to detect of postpartum depression and access proper treatment. Each woman or her partner fills out an online questionnaire to identify postpartum depression. She will receive immediate and professional feedback in clear language that includes a call to action, an emergency hotline, and access to emotional and community-based medical resources. The service is anonymous and offered in 3 languages. Agula aims to detect ppd as early as possible and raise the percentage of detection, enabling Israeli women to receive better treatment.

Agula was developed in the framework of Kaveret Hub, which was created by the National Insurance Institute and the JDC, and is professionally supported by Tami Ayalon, deputy director of the National Insurance Institute’s special funds and Dr. Itamar Ofer, a medical management expert.