Pregnancy is a tough time for women, whose strain is not limited just to the nine months of pregnancy and childbirth, and stresses a woman’s health for years following delivery. A new study has once again hit this hard fact home.
According to the study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), women with diagnosed perinatal depression face an increased risk of death, especially in the first year after diagnosis and due to suicide. To know more about perinatal depression, the team of OnlyMyHealth spoke to Dr Manjula S Patil, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Motherhood Hospitals, HRBR, Bangalore.
What Is Perinatal Depression?
Dr Patil defined, “Perinatal depression is a mental health disorder that develops during pregnancy and in the first year post-child-birth, which is a particularly vulnerable phase for a woman.”
She elucidated that the most common symptoms of perinatal mental disorder are anxiety and depression which affect about 7-20% of all perinatal women. However, the recent BMJ study highlights the severity of perinatal depression.
The study compared 86,551 women diagnosed with perinatal depression to 8,65,510 women without this diagnosis. The researchers tracked these women for up to 18 years and found that out of 86,551, 522 passed away. Hence the researchers concluded, that the risk of death was about twice as high for those with perinatal depression compared to those without.
Interestingly, the risk was found to be higher for postpartum depression (after childbirth) than for antepartum depression (during pregnancy). This increased risk persisted for up to 18 years. The risk of death was higher for both unnatural and natural causes, with the strongest association being with suicide, although it was rare.
Also Read: Can Men Also Experience Postpartum Depression? Doctor Explains, Shares Tips To Manage
Managing Perinatal Depression
Talking about the need to be aware of perinatal depression, Dr Patil said, “If mental health problems are left untreated, it can have serious and long-term consequences on the health of the mother, her child and the rest of the family.”
She shared that there are perinatal mental health programmes that specifically focus on caring for and treating women with poor mental health as well as supporting a parent-child relationship.
According to a study published in the journal BioMed Central Psychiatry, the factors that can catapult the chances of perinatal depression are:
- Lower educational level
- Poor economic status of families
- History of mental illness
- Domestic violence
- Perinatal smoking or drinking
- Giving birth to multiple children during one pregnancy, i.e. twins or triplets
- Antenatal depression
- Stressful life events
- Lack of social support
As per the National Institute of Mental Health, the signs of perinatal depression are similar to regular depression. These symptoms include a persistent and unshakable feeling of emptiness, sadness, anxiety, guilt, worthlessness, hopelessness, fatigue, brain fog, and emotional detachment. These feelings are usually accompanied by poor sleep, abnormal appetite, digestive problems, and thoughts about self-harm and suicide.
Dr Patil concluded that if you notice any of these symptoms for more than 12-24 hours a day for more than two weeks, you should consult a psychiatrist or a general physician immediately. The BMJ study highlighted that affected women, their families, and healthcare professionals need to be aware of the serious health risks associated with perinatal depression to avoid the chances of suicide or self-harm.
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