Maternal Mental Health Screening: What I Wished I’d Had

When I was pregnant back in 1997, I wish my doctor had told me I might be at risk for postpartum depression. Her words wouldn’t have alarmed me. They would have prompted me to get treatment when the darkness did indeed hit. During my six-week postpartum checkup when I was at my worst, I wish my OB/GYN had handed me a mental health screening and explained the difference between the “blues” and depression. Perhaps I would have lied on the screening, although I doubt it. At the time I was desperately trapped inside my terrified silence. Only my husband knew how far I’d fallen until one night on the phone with my sister, I sobbed uncontrollably. “I’ve never heard you like this,” she said quietly. “It will get better. I promise.” But her words fell flat under the weight of my despair. In January, for the first time, the United States Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening pregnant and postpartum women for maternal mental illness. It is my hope that these guidelines will prompt more health care practitioners to discuss maternal mental health with their pregnant and postpartum patients. Women need to know help is available, that they’re not bad mothers and that they’re not alone. Ten percent of pregnant women and 13 percent of postpartum women worldwide have a mental disorder and the numbers are higher in developing countries. Although maternal mental illness is sometimes lumped into the catchall term postpartum depression it’s often far more c...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Depression Disorders General Health-related Parenting Personal Psychology Women's Issues Baby Blues Childbirth Hormonal Changes Mental Disorder Motherhood Obstetrics postpartum depression Pregnancy Source Type: blogs