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When Hayden Panettiere died on Sunday, at age 36, there was an outpouring of love from fans who’d followed her career and personal struggles over the years, including alcoholism and postpartum depression.

Earlier this year, the actress shared on a podcast that Neutrogena wanted to end her longtime endorsement work for the brand after she spoke candidly in 2015 about her postpartum depression. The following year, she wasn’t asked back. After her death, fans began flooding Neutrogena’s social-media accounts with criticism of the brand’s treatment of the actress. Others called for a boycott of its products.

“It made me realize and understand exactly what people thought of women who experience postpartum depression, and how misunderstood it is, how much stigma there is around it,” Panettiere said this year on the podcast, “On Purpose With Jay Shetty.” 

In a statement posted on Instagram Thursday, Neutrogena wrote, “We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time.” 

Attention to the actress’s story comes amid the ongoing, televised trial of Lindsay Clancy. The trial centers on whether Clancy is criminally responsible for killing her three young children in January 2023. Prosecutors argued the murders were premeditated, while her defense contended she had been suffering from postpartum psychosis and depression, and that she wasn’t properly treated or diagnosed by care providers. 

The two women have thrust the topic of maternal mental health into the spotlight—illuminating medical conditions that often get overlooked and undertreated. Mothers on social media have begun sharing stories about their own postpartum mental-health struggles. Postpartum depression occurs in 1 out of 10 women, and postpartum psychosis impacts mothers in 1 or 2 of every 1,000 births. Postpartum depression is longer-lasting than “baby blues,” a common emotional state after birth that subsides within a couple of weeks. Some might experience depression as anger, crying often, or feeling guilty, numb or hopeless.

Postpartum psychosis is characterized by losing touch with reality, including having delusions, hallucinations or paranoia.

On Thursday, hundreds of women, many of them wearing pink, gathered to show support for Clancy outside the courthouse in Massachusetts where her trial is taking place—a sign of growing awareness about postpartum mental health.

“Every perinatal mental-health disorder is temporary and treatable, no matter what the symptoms,” Wendy Davis, the president and CEO of Postpartum Support International, told me. She said the nonprofit has seen an increase in confusion and fear over pregnancy and postpartum mental-health conditions and even medications lately, in part because of social-media discourse about Clancy’s experience. 

Clancy, who gave birth to her youngest child in May 2022, began experiencing anxiety about returning to work as a labor and delivery nurse after maternity leave, according to trial testimonies. As her mental health declined, she sought care from doctors and was prescribed varying cocktails of medications over several months for depression and insomnia. She called a suicide hotline and went to inpatient treatment.

Dr. Veerle Bergink, director of Mount Sinai’s Women’s Mental Health Center, said that if someone is not responding well to antidepressants or sleep medications, or remains severely ill, that can be a red flag that indicates a different diagnosis, like bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis, which are related. She added that while women with a history of bipolar disorder are more susceptible to postpartum psychosis, it can happen to anyone. 

Bergink’s research shows that lithium can be very effective in treating postpartum psychosis. Other researchers have established electroconvulsive therapy as an effective treatment. “If you detect it in time, and you treat it, there are very good treatments,” she said. 

Doctors I spoke with say that women, their partners and family members should seek out care immediately if they suspect something is off. 

Dr. Laura Briz, a psychiatrist at Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center, emphasized that while postpartum psychosis might be rare, many other conditions, such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and OCD, can be exacerbated for women after delivery. She urged women who’ve dealt with issues like anxiety, depression or bipolar disorder to make preconception and pregnancy appointments with care providers. 

“It takes a tragedy to really highlight the importance of decreasing the stigma around mental health because we know that a lot of times women do feel like they’re going to be judged negatively,” she said.

If you or a loved one are pregnant or just had a baby and need support, you can contact The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential help at 1-833-TLC-MAMA.

Read on for top stories of the week, from the Journal and elsewhere. Send me your thoughts on this week’s newsletter and what you’d like to read about in future editions. You can contact me at sara.obrien@wsj.com. If you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply!

The WSJ Wellness newsletter takes you inside the business and culture of wellness—and how it affects you. If you’re not subscribed, sign up here.

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Some argue that August marks the last weeks of summer. Others say it’s the unofficial start of fall. This period when the seasons start to blur together is being dubbed Augtober. Social media users are using the term as a celebration of all things fall. They’re styling their homes with pumpkin decor and cozy blankets, showing off fall outfits and partaking in fall drink menus at coffee shops. Though the official start of fall is nearly a month away, other social-media users are already setting their intentions for the season.

I’m Sara O’Brien, a reporter covering the intersection of culture, health and wellness. Each week, I’ll take you inside the latest health trends to help you understand where they came from, who’s profiting and whether they’re worth your money. Send me feedback or questions at sara.obrien@wsj.com (if you’re reading this in your inbox, you can just hit reply). Got a tip for us? Here’s how to submit.