Mental Health And Health Care

Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbearing with an estimated prevalence of 19.2% in the first three months after delivery (1). Depressive episodes (major and mild) may be experienced by approximately half of women during the first postpartum year (1). Characterized by depressed mood, loss of pleasure or interest in daily activities, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, irritability, sleep and eating disturbances (2), its etiology is multi-faceted and complex (3;4).

Davidson stated in her 2012 book A Nurse’s Guide to Women’s Mental Health that “It is estimated that 50-80 percent of women suffers from some form of baby blues after birth”. (pg.175)

Postpartum psychiatric disorders, particularly depression, has become the most underdiagnosed complication in the United States. It can lead to increased costs of medical care, inappropriate medical care, child abuse and neglect, discontinuation of breastfeeding, and family dysfunction and adversely affects early brain development (Earls, 2010). Over 400,000 infants are born to mothers that are depressed. One of 7 new mothers (14.5%) experience depressive episodes that impair maternal role function. An episode of major or minor depression that occurs during pregnancy or the first 12 months after birth is called perinatal or postpartum depression (Wisner, Chambers & Sit, 2006). Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that may make it difficult for them to complete daily care activities for themselves or for others (Postpartum Depression). The six stages of postpartum are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance and PTSD. These stages may affect any women regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or economic status. However only a physician can diagnose a woman with postpartum depression. It does not occur because of something a mother does or does not do, it’s a combination of physical and emotional factors. After childbirth, the levels of hormones in a woman’s body quickly drop; which may lead to chemical changes in her brain (Postpartum Depression). Unbalanced hormones may trigger mood swings.

Postpartum depression in a common experience for newer mothers to have after childbirth. It is meant to last only a few days but can extend for a few months if it is severe. It is thought that it is caused by extreme hormonal shifts in the body after childbirth. If not treated in time, it has a potential chance harm the mother or the child. It is important that the mother feels appreciated and respected during this time. This article will help by giving further information in postpartum depression and further help the claims of how gender roles can further depression.

Mental health has become an important factor in a persons well-being and is recognized as having the same importance as physical health. The mental health of a person can determine how they act in society. Their mood and behavior can be severely affected in ways that family or friends don’t understand. A mood disorder that has a significant affect on family members is called postpartum depression. Postpartum depression is a mood disorder that occurs in women who have given birth a few weeks prior. This mood disorder is diagnosed after two months or even longer, new mother can be continuously sad throughout the day and feel as though not having a connection with their baby. Doctors are not able to know which mother will have postpartum depression

Mental health has been a recurring topic in present society and it is a very large section of health care in general. Health can be termed as an absence of disease, but it really is much more than that and should encompass every facet of the human, mind and body. The WHO defines mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual can function properly and productively, cope with life stressors, and contribute to community. Mental health is dependent on many factors, mainly social, biological, and psychological (WHO). A mental disorder is a condition of alterations

A new addition to the family brings a lot changes; the good and the bad, as well as, mixed emotions during the first couple weeks after delivery. Parents may experience loss of sleep, loss of appetite, new schedules, and trying to determine why the child is crying/upset. However, depression is often an unanticipated occurrence. Families with more than one child, may not understand why the mother is experiencing these symptoms with this baby and not with the other children. Fathers may tell the mother to “get over” and be “normal”, but in reality, it is not as easy as it seems. The father may put a lot of pressure on the mother to be a stay-at-home-mom, while they go to work and not feel the need to help out as much within the home. The percentage of depression is 18.4% during pregnancy and 19.2% postpartum (Evans, Heron, Francomb., Oke, & Golding, 2001).

Social relationships, partnership dynamics, finances and responsibilities are changing. The uncertainties surrounding this unique role change can result in increased stress and anxiety (Hanley, 2015). Brunton et al. (2011) found that most women expressed worry in relation to labour and birth, coping in the postnatal period and fear about body changes. Clark et al. (2009) found that women were most dissatisfied with their body image in the early postnatal period. Body changes can be partially responsible for decreased intimacy between couples following child birth, further adding to women’s dissatisfaction and depressive feelings (Hanley, 2015). Additional challenges are faced by breastfeeding mothers in accepting the role of being mothers as well as sexual partners (Marques and Lemos, 2010).

The baby blues are much more common than postpartum depression in women after pregnancy. The incidence of baby blues are approximately four out of every 5 new mothers. Whereas postpartum depression accounts for 1 in every 5 new mothers. Maternal depression such as the baby blues or postpartum depression are cultural phenomenons. The text states that these feelings and symptoms after childbirth are not limited to the United States. In fact, they are observed in many developing and non-developed countries as well such as China, Australia, South America, etc. Researchers believe the main contribution to these feelings new mothers experience have to do with our physiological factors. Physiological factors such as changes in hormone levels are believed

Many psychosocial stressors may have an impact on the development of postpartum depression. The greater risk of postpartum depression is a history of major depression and those who have experienced depression during past pregnancies. Untreated maternal depression can have a negative effect on child development, mother-infant bonding, and risk of anxiety or depressive symptoms in infants later in life. Management of postpartum depression is a vital part of adequate medical care.” (Patel, Bailey, Jabeen, Ali, Barker, and Osiezagha,

The role of becoming a mother has many effects on a woman such as new roles, major responsibilities, money issues, increased unpaid workload, and harm to body image. These issues cause many women to suffer from postnatal fatigue and depression. These psychological issues can interfere with the mother’s ability to care for her new baby.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is the most common complication of childbirth, affecting 10-15% of postpartum women. (Murray & McKinney, 2014) The American Psychiatric Association (2013) defines “peripartum depression” as a period of depression with onset during pregnancy or within 4 weeks after childbirth that lasts at least 2 weeks. Women of all ages, ethnic groups, educational levels, and social status are affected by PPD. According to Murray & McKinney (2014) there are a number of risk factors that contribute to PPD including: depression during pregnancy or previous PPD (strong predictors), first pregnancy, hormonal fluctuations that follow childbirth, medical problems during pregnancy, personality characteristics, marital dysfunction, anger

Mothers who have brought into this world a blessing have been preparing themselves for a big change in their life. They have been learning and educating themselves about how to be a good mother. Many mothers find it really hard to transition from being an independent woman without children to becoming a mother (Corrigan, Kwasky, & Groh, 2015). Adapting to motherhood can be a drastic change, and usually creates challenges that lead to feeling overwhelmed (Leger & Letourneau, 2015). When a newly mother begins experiencing stress or becomes emotional then there can be a possibility that they can encounter Postpartum Depression (Leger et al., 2015). Postpartum depression can be seen and experienced in many different ways, it all varies on every mother (Corrigan et al., 2015). Many different mental health issues can be seen including baby blues, postpartum depression, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder, and the most serious, postpartum psychosis (Tam & Leslie, 2001).

With so many diseases and medical conditions to take care of, mental health often takes last place on the list of priorities. Dementia, depression, post-traumatic stress and other disorders affect every country alike. While developing countries need to develop access to mental healthcare, developed nations will need to improve their current facilities. Most westernized nations are experiencing a gradual aging of their population. As the populations aid, mental health will need more mental health professionals in place to handle their care.

Mental health is an essential aspect of our overall health and well-being. Despite its importance, mental healthcare is often overlooked and underfunded in most health systems. Worldwide the disparity between the need for mental health treatment and the lack of provision results in many persons suffering from severe mental disorders not receiving treatment for their disorders (WHO, 2013). The burden of mental disorders is felt most by low- and middle-income countries, with the percentage of people with severe mental disorders not receiving treatment being significantly higher at 76-85%, than that of high-income countries which is 35-50% (WHO, 2013). This also accounts for a substantial proportion of the burden of disease in developing (low- and middle-income) countries which impedes their economic and social development (De Silva & Roland, 2014). In low-income and middle-income countries, many barriers impede the progress of mental health services. These include structural barriers such as lack of available resources and attitudinal barriers like stigma surrounding mental disorders (Saxena et al., 2007). In looking for solutions to these barriers, innovative practices such the use of mHealth seemed promising. mHealth, which is the use of mobile phones or technology in health care, has been used in low-income countries like Nepal to provide post-abortion health care. With mobile phones being used widely across incomes, ages and cultures, they have to the potential to be used