“Zero Separation” to increase the survival of small and premature babies
#youarenotabadmother if you have OCD, anxiety, depression, trauma or grief. You have the right to receive assistance.
Mothers with psychological distress or mental health issues usually feel guilty or ashamed about reaching out for the professional help they require.
Let´s offer to help – let´s care for mothers.
One out of five mothers may suffer from mental illness during the perinatal period – but only one out of four who suffer mental illness will ever be diagnosed. Postpartum depression is probably the best known and most common, but in half the cases depression was already present during pregnancy.
- Anxiety and depression can make mother feel extremely worried or guilty, and keep her from enjoying her pregnancy or her infant.
- OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) may initially appear during pregnancy or after giving birth, and can make mother suffer from fear of contagion, infection, or other intrusive fears.
- Mothers with a past of trauma and/or sexual abuse may show symptoms of depression from the first trimester of pregnancy – even if it is a desired pregnancy.
- Postpartum psychosis is an infrequent but very severe condition, which requires early detection and urgent and adequate psychiatric care.
Without proper management, this and other perinatal mental illnesses may become chronic and cause undue suffering to the mother and her family, as well as impact on the baby´s development.
Maternal mental illness during the perinatal period is never the woman´s fault. Every mother who suffers any of these conditions must receive specialized psychological care, as well as empathic support. Management most often includes her partner and the baby, since they, too, are affected by maternal mental illness.
Many countries are lacking teams or programs specialized in maternal mental health care. There is an urgent need to create specific programs with multidisciplinary teams, incorporating perinatal psychologists and psychiatrists into obstetric teams, as well as enabling specific hospital wards with mother-infant rooms in case mother requires hospitalization for the management of her psychiatric distress.
#youarenotabadmother if you have OCD, anxiety, depression, trauma or grief. You have the right to receive assistance.
Original illustration by Ken Tackett
Other interesting reads:
Yoga, mindfulness and other psychological interventions for stress and anxiety during pregnancy
When postpartum depression lurks behind breastfeeding difficulties
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