Before COVID-19, the NHS reported that more than 1 in every 10 women were affected by postnatal depression, within a year of becoming a mother. Find more about postnatal depression here: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/post-natal-depression/overview/
A new study led by University College London finds that new mothers are twice as likely to have post-natal depression in lockdown.
You can find the original article here: New mothers twice as likely to have post-natal depression in lockdown, study finds
Researchers at the University College London found that during the first lockdown, 47.5% of mothers with 6-month-old or younger babies were suffering from postnatal depression, which is more than double of Europe’s rates before the pandemic. Between May and June 2020, 162 moms were surveyed in London, where they were asked to report up to 25 important people to them and disclose with whom they had interacted and how, alongside reports of their well-being levels during those months.
They found that moms who had more contact with others reported less depressive symptoms, which led researchers to believe that a possible risk factor of postnatal depression could be the decrease of social contact during lockdown. Despite this, women who had more face-to-face interactions with their relatives ended up being more likely to develop depressive symptoms than those who saw family less often. They hypothesize that this might be due to the family acknowledging the deterioration of the mom’s mental health and breaking lockdown rules to help them. Although virtual contact helped, several women described it as inadequate, and researchers explain that since people who were close to them were not able to see them struggling, seeking help ended up adding even more stress to their lives.
Dr Sarah Myers (UCL Anthropology) explained: “Caring for a new baby is challenging and all new mothers suffer some level of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. Low social support is one of the key risk factors for developing postnatal depression.”
If you are someone who is struggling with any kind of depression, please contact Salus Wellness Clinics for a free consultation and to find out different treatments we can offer to you.