The Mother's Mind, Mental Illness and Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a wonderful, magical event and the expectant mother experiences a wide range of emotions ranging from self-doubt to ecstasy. It is often the culmination of months of hopes and dreams, and the end of a 10 month long struggle. Other that being one of the happiest events in a woman's life, it also tests her both physically and mentally. There is a storm of hormonal changes that occur during and soon after pregnancy that puts the mother at risk of developing distressing mental symptoms.
Karthika is a 26-year-old female, IT professional and is about to give birth to her first child. She is excited and ready to bring her baby into the world. She has been preparing for this moment for the past 10 months, keeping herself calm and cheerful and accumulating all the information required to keep her child happy. She gave birth to a beautiful girl, Karthika was so proud!!!!. She noticed thought for the first few days after delivery, she began crying frequently and had difficulty controlling her anger. The newborns feeding cycle was messing with her sleep cycle, life was becoming a blur, she began feeling overwhelmed and felt that she was somehow not up to the task. She did not know why this was happening and felt guilty that she wasn't caring enough for her baby.
40-60% of all mothers experience postpartum blues within the first few days of giving birth. These symptoms of unstable mood, crying spells, irritability and anxiety usually occur within the first 10 days and peak around 3-5 days and are usually self-limiting, however persisting blues beyond 2 weeks can lead to significant depressive episodes.
Around 10-15% of mothers develop pervasive low mood and irritability, poor sleep, appetite, and concentration. Preoccupation with the infant's health and feelings of inadequacy predominate the thought process. When this interferes with functioning and lasts over two weeks it is termed postpartum depression.
Around one in 1000 mothers, experience symptoms such as hearing voices others cannot hear (hallucinations)and false beliefs (feelings of severe guilt or inadequacy) which may lead to serious deficits in self-care and care for the infant and herself. Further, some mothers might develop repetitive, intrusive but senseless thoughts or images of harm to the baby resulting in significant distress and impairments in personal and social functioning.
These symptoms can occur due to change in levels of certain chemical substances in the brain which distorts reality and poses a risk to mother and child.
These changes result from a marked decrease in gonadal steroids (Substances produced in the body during the normal course of a woman's sexual life cycle), there is a decrease in the levels of progesterone as childbirth proceeds through the stages of labor. And estrogen levels drops suddenly after the expulsion of the placenta. These sudden changes in hormones have profound effects on the neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which are implicated in the above distortions in thought and disorder.
In addition to the above, psycho-social factors such as support systems and liabilities and the social circumstances surrounding the pregnancy play an important role in the development of mental illness post pregnancy.
Unmarried mothers, cesarean sections or other perinatal or natal complications, a past history of psychotic illness, a past history of anxiety and depression, a family history of psychiatric illness,
a previous episode of postpartum depression, stressful life events, history of sexual abuse and vulnerable personality traits can put one at higher risk of developing distressing mental symptoms around pregnancy.
The crux of the issue is that awareness about such illnesses is very very poor, this adds to the distress of women suffering from the same. The new mothers begin to feel guilty of their inability to control these negative thoughts and emotions. They fail to realize that it is an illness that is skewing their view of the world and that help is available. Mental illness is caused by abnormalities in the brain and is manageable to a large extent either through medications or psychotherapy.
Thus it becomes essential that any abnormalities in behavior are reported to the health care provider as soon as possible and appropriate interventions sought. Karthika met her therapist, who assured her and gave her a list of warning signs to look out for. Her post-partum blues disappeared within a couple of weeks and she was able to experience motherhood the way it is meant to be experienced.
Karthika is a 26-year-old female, IT professional and is about to give birth to her first child. She is excited and ready to bring her baby into the world. She has been preparing for this moment for the past 10 months, keeping herself calm and cheerful and accumulating all the information required to keep her child happy. She gave birth to a beautiful girl, Karthika was so proud!!!!. She noticed thought for the first few days after delivery, she began crying frequently and had difficulty controlling her anger. The newborns feeding cycle was messing with her sleep cycle, life was becoming a blur, she began feeling overwhelmed and felt that she was somehow not up to the task. She did not know why this was happening and felt guilty that she wasn't caring enough for her baby.
40-60% of all mothers experience postpartum blues within the first few days of giving birth. These symptoms of unstable mood, crying spells, irritability and anxiety usually occur within the first 10 days and peak around 3-5 days and are usually self-limiting, however persisting blues beyond 2 weeks can lead to significant depressive episodes.
Around 10-15% of mothers develop pervasive low mood and irritability, poor sleep, appetite, and concentration. Preoccupation with the infant's health and feelings of inadequacy predominate the thought process. When this interferes with functioning and lasts over two weeks it is termed postpartum depression.
Around one in 1000 mothers, experience symptoms such as hearing voices others cannot hear (hallucinations)and false beliefs (feelings of severe guilt or inadequacy) which may lead to serious deficits in self-care and care for the infant and herself. Further, some mothers might develop repetitive, intrusive but senseless thoughts or images of harm to the baby resulting in significant distress and impairments in personal and social functioning.
These symptoms can occur due to change in levels of certain chemical substances in the brain which distorts reality and poses a risk to mother and child.
These changes result from a marked decrease in gonadal steroids (Substances produced in the body during the normal course of a woman's sexual life cycle), there is a decrease in the levels of progesterone as childbirth proceeds through the stages of labor. And estrogen levels drops suddenly after the expulsion of the placenta. These sudden changes in hormones have profound effects on the neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine which are implicated in the above distortions in thought and disorder.
In addition to the above, psycho-social factors such as support systems and liabilities and the social circumstances surrounding the pregnancy play an important role in the development of mental illness post pregnancy.
Unmarried mothers, cesarean sections or other perinatal or natal complications, a past history of psychotic illness, a past history of anxiety and depression, a family history of psychiatric illness,
a previous episode of postpartum depression, stressful life events, history of sexual abuse and vulnerable personality traits can put one at higher risk of developing distressing mental symptoms around pregnancy.
The crux of the issue is that awareness about such illnesses is very very poor, this adds to the distress of women suffering from the same. The new mothers begin to feel guilty of their inability to control these negative thoughts and emotions. They fail to realize that it is an illness that is skewing their view of the world and that help is available. Mental illness is caused by abnormalities in the brain and is manageable to a large extent either through medications or psychotherapy.
Thus it becomes essential that any abnormalities in behavior are reported to the health care provider as soon as possible and appropriate interventions sought. Karthika met her therapist, who assured her and gave her a list of warning signs to look out for. Her post-partum blues disappeared within a couple of weeks and she was able to experience motherhood the way it is meant to be experienced.
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