Parental mental health in the perinatal period

The perinatal period (pregnancy and postpartum period) is usually a time of sound mental health. During this period, women may also suffer from mood swings and anxiety, but this usually resolves spontaneously when the hormones stabilize in the first weeks after giving birth.

Although the birth of a baby is often anticipated with great joy, for some women, men and families in general, pregnancy and the postpartum period may turn into a period of stress and challenges. Mental health problems in pregnant women or women who have recently given birth, as well as future and "new" fathers, occur in all countries and cultures. This disorder is usually called "depression".

According to the UK Fatherhood Institute, it has been determined that, on average, 10.4% of fathers suffer from depression both before and after the birth of a child, and the highest rate of depression in fathers occurs between the third and sixth month after birth. Depression in fathers is associated with problems with the baby's sleep/crying; father's neuroticism and substance abuse/addiction; mild personality disorders in the mother and her current mental state; attitudes toward fatherhood and masculinity; feeling excluded from the parental role, inability to take care of the baby and build a relationship with him/her; lack of support for fatherhood; poor quality of partner relationship; disagreements regarding pregnancy, worries and additional responsibilities; unfulfilled expectations; etc.

Based on research, strong evidence has been obtained that these parental difficulties can negatively affect the baby's development before and after birth, causing hormonal changes and toxic stress that interferes with brain development; in addition, they can negatively affect certain areas of child development and well-being later.

Mental health disorders during pregnancy and after childbirth (perinatal period) are usually classified into three to four groups:

Baby blues - is usually mild and temporary malaise, most commonly during the first two weeks after birth, and can last a very short time (several days). Women feel as if they have no control over their emotions, which range from crying, sadness, anxiety, nervousness, to increased addiction and being overwhelmed with responsibilities.
Perinatal depression - constant, ubiquitous low mood of varying intensity and duration. It affects approximately one in ten women during pregnancy, 10-15% of women (and up to 10% of men) at any time after childbirth, or more than 30% during the first year after childbirth. Untreated depression may continue in the second and third year, as well as also after the birth of any child.
Anxiety, which can occur in both mothers and fathers, is manifested through pronounced fears, including panic accompanied by avoidant behavior, but also through more serious symptoms in the domain of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress, acute stress.
Puerperal psychosis - occurs only in women and affects approximately 1-2 mothers per 1000 births; it occurs suddenly (usually within just a few days), but sometimes it may take some time to detect it.

A number of risk factors make some mothers and fathers more vulnerable, here are just a few: low education and social vulnerability; women's low social status; women's low income and education levels, their social exclusion and very little impact on their own lives; age (younger mothers and younger fathers are more likely to have poor mental health); adverse or stressful experiences (such as childhood abuse, living in poverty, without financial means, insecure housing situation, recent loss of a loved one or migration); unstable or unsupportive relationship with a life partner (e.g. substance abuse, violence, partner's poor mental health, non-acceptance of pregnancy, pregnancy early in the relationship, parents living in separate households); weak family and social support system or lack thereof, and many others.

Recently, a number of famous women shared with the public their own experiences about why motherhood was a very difficult, or even painful, experience for them in the beginning, until they got professional assistance. They stress that it is necessary to raise public awareness and reduce the stigma associated with some of these mental health difficulties or even disorders.