Maternal Mental Health Matters.
2nd May 2019
In society, it is expected that entering parenthood is a perfect and heavenly time, but for some new families this is not the case. It can be a daunting and terrifying time for mothers and fathers; it can feel like they are isolated and alone, even when surrounded by so many other people. Having a baby is a huge life event and it is only normal to experience a wide range of emotions throughout this time.
‘Perinatal’ is the term that refers to the period of time leading up to and after childbirth, usually defined as the time of pregnancy up to and also including one year after giving birth. The emotional and the physiological changes of pregnancy, labour and caring for a new-born can make this period of time a very vulnerable one for new mothers and fathers (peri meaning ‘around’ and natal meaning ‘birth’)
You may have also heard terms used to describe the time before or after giving birth more specifically, such as; postnatal or postpartum meaning ‘after birth’ and antenatal or prenatal meaning ‘before birth’
Perinatal mental illness affects almost one in three mothers and one in ten fathers, and is one of the leading causes of death for mothers through pregnancy and up to a year after childbirth.
Maternal Mental Health Matters Week (29th April to 5th May 2019), organised by the Perinatal Mental Health Partnership, is an amazing opportunity to raise awareness of an illness which isn’t discussed enough in society.
The most prevalent mental illness reported during the perinatal period is depression (in 10-14% of new mothers). Postpartum Psychosis (sometimes referred to as Puerperal Psychosis) affects around 2 in ever 1000 women. Unlike milder forms of anxiety and depression, this severe condition is much more likely to occur after childbirth where most cases are reported within the first few weeks after the baby has been born (Hogg 2014).
It isn’t just new mothers who experience mental health issues during the perinatal period, new fathers also experience mental health difficulties. Although, sadly we know a lot less about this due to the research in this area currently being so ‘thin on the ground’. Anxiety and depression are common in new fathers, with an estimated 5-10% of fathers experiencing clinical depression during this period and up to 15% being affected by an anxiety disorder (Leach et al, 2016). Although only mothers can be FORMALLY diagnosed with perinatal mental health problems, they have been found to be more then present in mothers and fathers alike.
As if these mental health problems weren’t a worry alone, the issue of perinatal mental health can also affect the child’s health cognitively, emotionally and even have a negative impact on their development physically. Scarily, it has been estimated that around half the cases of perinatal anxiety and depression in the U.K go unidentified.
In the U.K, access to perinatal mental health services is a bit of a postcode lottery… all depended on where you live. This then means that half the women around the U.K have no access to specialist perinatal mental health services when they need it. It is hoped that these very limited services will expand and awareness weeks such as this one is the ideal opportunity to push this. It is also hoped that the frontline healthcare professionals/workers in which are in contact with the groups of people exposed to these perinatal mental health difficulties will have training specific on perinatal illness (including health visitors, GP’s and midwives).
If you believe that you, or someone you know might be suffering from perinatal mental health issues then please get in contact with local charities, your GP, midwifery team for support and guidance on how to help/support.
Don’t suffer in silence, everybody needs a helping hand every now and again.
Reference:
Hogg S. (2014) Prevention in Mind. All Babies Count: Spotlight on Perinatal Mental Health. NSPCC [PDF]