Perinatal depression is depression experienced during pregnancy or after childbirth . Lots of people have heard of postnatal depression (PND) but many are not aware that you can experience depression during pregnancy as well.
Around 20%, one in five, expectant and new mums experience perinatal mental illness. One in ten dads also experience poor mental well-being during this period.
No one really knows what causes depression. There are some biological factors, such as hormones and chemicals in the brain, which when combined with other factors can make someone more prone to poor mental well-being. The following are risk factors for perinatal depression:
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Mind, the mental health charity, has a wide range of information and support available
Perinatal anxiety is anxiety experienced during pregnancy or in the year after childbirth. Sometimes it will be broken down and referred to as 'antenatal' or 'postnatal' anxiety, depending on when you experience it.
People are very aware of depression before or after having a baby, but it's less well known that many women experience anxiety during and after pregnancy. In fact, it's common to experience depression and anxiety together.
About 10-15% of women experience anxiety during pregnancy and the year following birth.
We don't know exactly what causes anxiety. However we know a number of things make it more likely that you experience anxiety:
Going through a traumatic experience
If you've previously gone through a traumatic experience which you were unable to deal with emotionally, you may become anxious if a similar situation arises or seems likely to arise.
Family with anxiety
We learn from others and imitate their behaviour. Feeling anxious could be something you learned early on in life. We may also inherit a genetic tendency to be more anxious.
Fearing you'll lose control
If you feel you’re not in control of aspects of your life, you may start to feel anxious about events beyond your control, all of which is common when having a child.
Your physical health
Having a long-term health condition, especially if it’s painful, can make you more likely to experience anxiety. Caffeine, too much sugar, unhealthy foods, drugs, exhaustion, stress and the side effects of certain medications can also make you feel anxious.
People often experience physical, psychological and behavioural symptoms when they feel anxious or stressed.
Some of the most common physical symptoms of anxiety are:
Some of the most common psychological symptoms (the thoughts or altered perceptions we have) of anxiety are:
The most common behavioural symptom (the things we do when we are anxious) is avoidance. Although avoiding an anxiety provoking situation produces immediate relief from the anxiety, it is only a short term solution. This means that whilst it may seem like avoiding is the best thing to do at the time, the anxiety often returns the next time that you face the situation and avoiding it will only psychologically reinforce the message that there is danger. The problem with avoidance is that you never get to find out whether your fear about the situation and what would happen is actually true.
- Credit to Anxiety UK
Treatment is similar to that for depression. Often depression and anxiety accompany each other.
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If you live in London, please look at our services in the 'What We Do' section. We may be biased but they are pretty good!
Mind, the mental health charity, has a wide range of information and support available
Anxiety UK has a range of information on anxiety and phobias
Birth trauma is a type of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that relates to the birth experience. Often the symptoms are similar but not enough to meet the full diagnosis for PTSD.
Perhaps you experienced or witnessed a difficult birth, complications or where you felt you weren't supported or listened to. It displays itself through symptoms such as flashbacks, heightened anxiety, a constant 'fight or flight' feeling, and avoiding any reminders of the trauma.
Birth trauma can also affect those who witnessed the birth, such as partners and family members.
Birth trauma can make it difficult to bond with your baby and cause social isolation to avoid any reminders of birth such as other pregnant women or those with newborns.
About 30,000 women per year experience birth trauma in the UK. We do not have figures for the number of fathers/birth partners are affected.
Factors that make birth trauma more likely are:
There are four main symptoms:
This can lead to difficulties bonding with your baby. If you would like help bonding with your baby, we can provide parent infant counselling to help improve the bond and give you confidence in understanding your baby's needs. See more on our Counselling page.
Information courtesy of The Birth Trauma Association
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