CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A maternal mental health counselor in Charlotte says she’s seeing COVID-19 heighten anxieties of pregnant and new mothers.

A recent report from Postpartum Support International said mental health disorders around pregnancy is a “crisis” in the U.S., with 600,000 women dealing with perinatal depression every year.

The report said there are disparities across the country in education, training, and access to maternal mental health resources.

Charlotte counselor Venus Kennedy said many clients are seeing symptoms exacerbated. But also, the pandemic has caused some who don’t normally deal with anxiety to think about mental health.

“If anything, that will hopefully highlight the fact that mental health [resources are] needed. And will hopefully be utilized more in the future,” Kennedy said.

According to Postpartum Support International, perinatal mental health disorders affect women at a higher rate than breast cancer, but the federal government has only dedicated $54 million to addressing the issue compared to $1.4 billion for breast cancer.