Dealing with mental illness in women (II)

• Not being able to sleep or being very tired, or both.

• Not being able to eat, and weight loss.

• Overeating, and weight gain.

• Trouble focusing, remembering, or making decisions.

• Being overly worried about the baby.

• Not having an interest in the baby.

• Feeling worthless and guilty.

• Being afraid of hurting the baby or yourself.

• No interest or pleasure in activities, including sex.

Maternal mental health problems pose a huge human, social and economic burden to women, their infants, their families, and society and constitute a major public health challenge. Although the overall prevalence of mental disorders is similar in men and women, women’s mental health requires special considerations in view of women’s greater likelihood of suffering from depression and anxiety disorders and the impact of mental health problems on childbearing and childrearing, too.

Depression and anxiety are approximately twice as prevalent globally in women as in men, and are at their highest rates in the lifecycle during the childbearing years, from puberty to menopause.

Studies of depression and anxiety show their incidence to be approximately 5 per cent in non-pregnant women, approximately 8-10 per cent during pregnancy and highest (13 per cent) in the year following delivery.

Suicide is one of the most common causes of maternal death in the year following delivery in developed countries.

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