PRENATAL/POSTNATAL DEPRESSION
Depression is one of the most common psychological illness experienced by people across age groups and ethnicities. There are a number of underlying factors that contribute to one feeling ‘low’. However, any mental health condition, depending on its intensity and severity, will be termed as a ‘problem’ if it interferes with everyday social or occupational efficacy. Even though we have been made aware about a lot of factors that may contribute to a persistent feeling of sadness, we often tend to discard them as a passing phase and something transient.One major category of this specific mood disorder includes PREGNANT WOMEN.
Perinatal depression is a concern that has been talked about less. Postpartum depression has its set of literature and research. Reasons may be many but it’s mostly to do with the lack of awareness.
Mothers often feel guilty of not being happy about the upcoming joy and hence, do everything possible to ‘appear joyful’ even if struggling inside. Psychosocial factors such as socioeconomic status, financial safety, living conditions, employment status, etc. have been found to be linked with the stress that comes along, reinforcing the state of sadness.
Women feel more worried, irritable, and anxious and are unable to celebrate the arrival of a new member. Sometimes it bothers them that they may not be able to become effective mothers and have cold feet thinking of all the responsibilities. However, at times they feel burdened about not being able to live according to their current lifestyle in the future and having to accommodate. They feel pressurized that they won’t be able to sustain the pregnancy duration and worry that something might go wrong with the child. Childbirth isn’t an easy process. The mother not only goes through physiological changes but has to deal with significant hormonal and psychological ones. Emotional draining and intense mood swings may be the result which makes it difficult for them to cope up with the everyday demands of life.
Some of the symptoms that may appear are as follows: · Pervasive feeling of sadness and worry about the future · A feeling of hopelessness and helplessness · Negative views about self and the future · Sleeping too much or too little (insomnia or hypersomnia) · Paranoia (in some cases) · Anhedonia – not being able to find pleasure in activities that gave happiness earlier · Difficulty concentrating or focusing on activities · Eating difficulties · Feelings of guilt and self-doubt
These symptoms may not be exclusive and may vary in quality and severity from person to person.
On similar grounds, postpartum depression occurs after childbirth.
After the child has been born, similar emotional upheavals become an obstacle to the mother’s well-being. Some of the impacted areas include physical health, psychological peace, functioning in social or occupational activities. There are certain factors which make you more susceptible to developing mental health condition such as depression in such circumstances such as belonging to a lower-income family, having body image issues, dealing with significant health problems, low social affiliation, early traumas, disturbed family environment among others.
Mothers go through quite drastic changes after childbirth. Lifestyles patterns are changed and it takes a lot of endurance to bring your body back to a normal state. Hormonal changes often cause weight gain which affects a person’s perception of themselves. Body image and self-esteem are impacted to a great extent. The person feels a lack of confidence and feels insecure in certain aspects of life. It gets difficult to accept oneself in the changed way and the person doesn’t find herself attractive or presentable enough. On the other hand, there is a lot of time and patience required to take care of the child and hence the mother frequently feels exhausted. There are fewer opportunities for self-care and to indulge in activities of interest. The primary caregiver has to be the mother and hence, she often has to give up her career till the time the child grows up a little to be on his/her own. There are few households in Asian cultures where occupational activities are resumed with immediate effect after childbirth. In that sense, the person loses a sense of identity and recognition which is often derived from professional endeavors.
In order to be effective in terms of intervention, the first and foremost aspect that has to be dealt with is awareness about and openness towards discussions. There need to be more campaigns and reach-out programs targeted at these conditions. This would be a step towards the prevention of any long-term effects and identification at early stages to prevent the condition from getting worsened.
Forms of treatment available for prenatal/postnatal depression include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), support groups, incorporating a self-care regime. Sometimes, medication is also prescribed depending upon the severity of symptoms.
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