Maternal Mental Health: Here's A Mental Health Guide For New Moms

The White Swan Foundation for Mental Health, a non-profit organization committed to providing information about mental health and skills, has released an e-book on maternal mental health in English, Hindi, Kannada and Bangla. This e-book has been prepared on the necessary guidance and inputs received from Nimhans' Perinatal Mental Health Clinic and Bangalore-based psychiatrists, gynaecologists and obstetricians.

Mental health-related problems during pregnancy and after delivery are often ignored by both the new mother or their family members and professionals. Also, many studies point to an essential link between the health of the mother and the child (which should include mental health). For these reasons, the mother's mental health problems should be counted among the significant health issues.

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The available facts suggest that it needs particular emphasis

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 15.6 per cent of pregnant women in developing countries suffer from mental health problems. Depression is the most common problem among them. It is estimated that one in five new mothers in India suffers from postpartum depression. The National Mental Health Survey, 2016, showed that 85 per cent of mental health problems go untreated. In the case of maternal mental health problems, approximately 90 per cent of evidence do not receive treatment.

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Gynaecology and obstetrician and lactation consultant Dr Shaibya Saldanha states that "women face a lot of emotional and mental health problems during pregnancy which is unfortunately ignored due to their work. It is normal to be tired during pregnancy, especially after delivery, many women go through postpartum depression, and some of them go into depression as well. But it is not recognized because women and their family members do not understand these signs.”

• According to the WHO, a mother's mental health problems during pregnancy or after the birth of a child can negatively affect the child's development. Treatment of the mother's psychological problem is a possible and practical intervention, even if it is by well-trained non-specialist health workers, can significantly reduce the crisis.
• The most crucial challenge is the lack of information among people about maternal mental health. This leads to problems such as neglecting the new mother's health, getting the wrong treatment, not getting help and suffering from prolonged issues. The solution is that people get the right information so that they can make accurate decisions and obtain appropriate services.
• Through this e-book, the White Swan Foundation strives to provide better information to pregnant and new mothers, such as what emotional changes may occur during pregnancy and when they should seek help. Apart from this, this e-book also contains a list of cases about which women need to be aware of. When and what they should discuss with the obstetrician is also given.

White Swan Foundation CEO Manoj Chandran states that "The White Swan Foundation is committed to increasing knowledge and spreading knowledge about maternal mental health among people. Our e-book on the subject of maternal mental health is a small step towards this commitment. We hope that thousands of new mothers and their families will benefit from this e-book and additional information published on our website on this subject. "

This e-book is free and can be downloaded from the White Swan Foundation website-www.whiteswanfoundation.org

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