While many people are familiar with postpartum depression, health professionals are raising awareness of other mental health disorders that can occur during the perinatal period (the period from pregnancy to one year after giving birth). I am.
“Everything from baby blues to postpartum depression can actually be clinical depression. People can show signs of bipolar disorder,” says the founder of the nonprofit Women in Medicine. said Dr. Shikha Jain.
Jayne, a mother of three, says raising awareness is key. She recalls having other worries during her pregnancy, like many women.
“How am I going to feed my baby? How am I going to survive without sleeping? I was thinking about things like that. I wasn’t thinking about my own emotional health and mental health. ” said Jayne.
Research shows that one in five women and one in 10 men experience depression or anxiety during the perinatal period, but only about 25 of them seek professional help. % only.
“If you don’t have that support system, especially at home, there are actually people who can help you,” Jain said.
Postpartum Support International (PSI) is one nonprofit organization with a helpline that offers services in Spanish and English, not just for new moms but for anyone with concerns.
Andrea Clark Horton is director of PSI’s People of Color Alliance and shares her story to help others.
Her son, Grant, is now 10, but Horton will never forget the day, six weeks after Grant’s birth, when he couldn’t stop crying the night before a follow-up doctor’s appointment.
“I remember shaking the basket and screaming, ‘Why won’t you stop crying?’ because I wanted it to stop crying so badly. I remember we both cried and went to the doctor the next day.” Horton said. . “I told her, ‘No, it’s okay,’ which is great. I love being her mom,” she said, because she was scared.
Horton didn’t talk about her postpartum depression because she feared her son would be taken away from her, but now she’s talking about it in her role at PSI.
“We have over 30 support groups, so you’re not alone,” Horton said.
She believes cases of perinatal mental health disorders among women of color are underreported.
“When we feel like the system won’t support us or is going to punish us in a way that it doesn’t punish other mothers, if we decide to take care of this child… If we say we can’t do it, we’re not going to report it,” Horton said.
PSI offers training programs to help medical professionals be aware of red flags.
“Even if you’re not an OB/GYN, babies go to the doctor more often than moms for the first year or so, right? So pediatricians should know,” Hortons said.
Dr. Jain and Dr. Houghton say it’s important for expectant parents to know their family history: a history of depression or anxiety, or having a partner with a mood disorder, are risk factors for perinatal mood disorders.
