21 percent of women going through postpartum depression aren't vocal about it

(Representational image)

New Delhi: Nothing else on Earth can compare the joy of having a baby for parents. But the birth of a child can adversely affect a mother's mental health with most women experiencing major mood shifts after childbirth – ranging from brief, mild baby blues to the longer-lasting and deeper clinical depression known as postpartum depression.

Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is very common after childbirth than many people may realize.

As per the World Health Organisation (WHO), depression affects 1 in 6 women who have given birth, however, according to a new study, one in five or 21 percent of new mothers who experience postpartum mood disorders do not disclose their symptoms to healthcare providers.

The study showed that over 10-20 percent of women experience significant mood disorders after childbirth, and those disorders can adversely affect the physical and emotional well-being of both mothers and children.

"Our study finds that many women who would benefit from treatment are not receiving it, because they don't tell anyone that they're dealing with any challenges," said Betty-Shannon Prevatt, clinical psychologist and doctoral student at North Carolina State University.

The study found that women who were unemployed, had a history of mental health problems or were experiencing severe symptoms were more likely to not to report to doctors.

Coversely, women experiencing the highest levels of stress, as well as those with the strongest social support networks, were most likely to report their symptoms to healthcare providers.

For the study, published in the Maternal and Child Health Journal, the team conducted an anonymous survey of women who had given birth within the previous three years.

Survey responses showed that 51 percent of study participants met the criteria for postpartum mood disorders.

However, more than one in five of those who experienced these did not disclose their problems to healthcare providers.

"The study highlights the importance of support networks and the need to normalise the wide variety of reactions women have after childbirth," Prevatt said.

"We need to make it OK for women to talk about their mental health, so that they can have better access to care. Working with the people around new mothers may be key," Prevatt added.

(With IANS inputs)