Mental health is something that always has to be taken seriously, and it can impact anyone, at any stage of their life. Pregnancy is often thought to be one of the most exciting stages of a woman's life. A time when she is full of joy, and despite the difficulties that pregnancy can present, she is meant to be excited about what is to come.
That is not the case for every woman and pregnancy, and society thinks this can cause some damage to women. It can lead to women thinking something is wrong with them if they don't find every minute filled with joy when pregnant. If they are struggling with mental health issues, they may be reluctant to speak out and get the help they need.
The truth is that mental health doesn't care if you "should" be happy, it can sneak in and affect anyone. Prenatal mood and anxiety disorders impact the lives of a lot of women, but they often go underdiagnosed, and it is important to look at why this is, and what can be done to help women who need it.
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It is important to understand what prenatal mood and anxiety disorders are so that we can fully grasp what women are struggling with. According to CAMH, this is an umbrella term for a variety of mental health struggles that a woman can face during pregnancy, and up to one year following delivery. It is estimated that they affect 10 to 20% of women, and even the partner of the women can experience them as well.
These illnesses can include pregnancy or postpartum depression, anxiety, postpartum OCD, postpartum bipolar mood disorders, and postpartum psychosis. If these are left untreated, they can lead to complications with the baby including low birth weight, preterm delivery, and even an increased risk of childhood emotional and behavioral problems as the baby ages.
There are a lot of things that can play into the development of prenatal mood and anxiety disorders, according to What To Expect. If mom wants to see if she is at an increased risk of developing one of these conditions, she should watch out for the following:
These can all make women more predisposed to developing a prenatal mood and anxiety disorder, and she should speak to her medical provider if she thinks she could be at high risk.
It is already known that these issues are going undiagnosed, but the question remains why? Studies have been done to see what is happening, and why they are not being caught by medical professionals. According to one study, the biggest reason why these are not getting diagnosed is that a lot of the symptoms can be mistaken as "normal" pregnancy symptoms.
Women often present with symptoms like fatigue, irritability, tension, difficulty concentrating, and insomnia. These are often mistaken for pregnancy symptoms.
The other reason they are often misdiagnosed is that women often feel shame for feeling this way. As mentioned earlier, it can be hard for women to speak up about the struggles they are facing because they have been under the impression that they are supposed to be happy during this time, and feeling anything different makes them feel like there is something wrong with them.
Sources: CAMH, What To Expect, NCBI