“Am I Mad?” – Why Maternal Mental Health Is Important

 

The stat on maternal mental health is dire.

Over 1.5 million cases of Post Partum Disorder are recorded every year in Nigeria, with a 2 in 10 death rate due to suicide. Mostly affected are women between 19 years and 45 years old. These are statistics from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, and affiliated journals.

New mums can lose their minds. Period.  And we should be worried about it and be more proactive in checking it.

When, a few weeks ago, the social media went agog with the story of a woman who left her baby at the airport terminal in Saudi Arabia, many praised the kind gesture of the pilot of the Malaysian bound flight who turned the plane around for the woman. We at TW were more concerned about the ‘why’ of her action. We figured that the being a new mum, she might have been suffering from postpartum depression, as her baby was less than one year.

This is why we have chosen to bring maternal mental health issues to the fore, as an important health issue.

Maternal health problems are identified as Maternal Mental Health Disorder, (MMHD), and experts say one in five women develop a mental health problem during pregnancy or in the first year after the birth of their baby. These problems can range from anxiety, low mood and depression to psychosis depression and anxiety being the most common of them.

Of all the maternal mental health problems, Postpartum Disorder (PPD) gives experts more cause for concern, because it has far more damaging effects. Between one and two in 1,000 women who have given birth are affected by postpartum disorder. Symptoms include high mood (mania), depression, confusion, hallucinations (false perceptions) and delusions (false beliefs). In some of the most extreme cases of PPD, there is a risk of suicide.

Indigenous support group for PPD victims – PSN (Postpartum Support Network) Africa is a non-profit organisation working to raise awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in Africa.  Speaking exclusively to tw, its head of clinical services, Dr. Wale Aminu says “Sadly the mental condition (PPD) is often unnoticed as the condition is usually misinterpreted in these parts as a form of spiritual attack or a diabolical battle.”

One survivor on the PSN platform gives credence to this, as she shares her personal experience with us… We will simply call her Gift out of respect for her privacy.

“I was having serious episodes of prenatal depression throughout my first trimester, but even when I was much heavier during pregnancy it was really bad to the extent that I tried to commit suicide on two separate occasions. Unfortunately, I didn’t really get any form of support from my family members because in Africa most people don’t understand that some individuals go through depression – they (people) feel you are simply pretending. Sometimes they (people) would say one is going through ‘spiritual phase’. My own husband even was insinuating that I was pretending, that I was just looking for attention – so it wasn’t easy going through that period. But right now, I feel very great having gone through therapy.”

Already PSN Africa has educated and screened over one thousand mothers in Nigeria. Dr. Aminu, who is a clinical psychologist says before now, because of the misconception of PPD, many mothers have had to endure prolonged suffering due to lack of knowledge and professional care.

“Honestly, there has been a lot of challenging moments helping these women. Chief among them is our socio-cultural setting. A lot of mothers fear being stigmatized or branded a ‘mad woman’, so in some cases our support group at PSN Africa have had to work extra hard in persuading the mother to take treatment/therapy even though it is obvious to her that she needs help,” Dr. Wale concluded.

Being the primary care giver within families, clearly a woman’s mental health should be every member’s priority, especially the husband. He must learn to look out for the signs and provide non-negotiable emotional & moral support for his wife.

The good news is that about 90{54d2fcdcd494adb6982253be6fe8d5492e5f586157f419110131714f9092ec60} of women who have postpartum depression, and other maternal mental health problems, can be treated successfully with medication (prescription of drugs from a qualified doctor), or a combination of medication and therapy. In some cases, treatment may also include creative therapies (such as art therapy, music therapy, or play therapy), mindfulness and meditation.

Additionally, it is interesting to note that research has shown that the simplest of exercises can go a long way in lowering the risks of mental health disorder. Once a woman recovers physically from giving birth, she is advised to include some exercise in her daily routine. A WebMD reported study shows that vigorous exercise after recovering from childbirth is associated with an increased feeling of Well-Being.

For those with PPD collective group therapy is also recommended, as victims can learn from experiences of other.

Remember – Be aware, and let other people know about maternal mental issues. It is a collective responsibility to save lives.

**Get to know more about PSN (Postpartum Support Network) Africa at http://www.psnafrica.org