Like Apgar scores and the heel-prick test, the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale questionnaire is a moment of dark intimation in early parenthood; a point when – if your complacency has not already been shattered – you realise that the birth of a baby does not guarantee a joyful onward journey. As the health visitor guides you through it, the answers can catch in your throat. Do you feel scared or panicky? Are things getting on top of you? Have you been so unhappy that you've been crying? Amid the turbulence and exhaustion of the postpartum period, a woman's hold on what can confidently be described as "normal" can fall away.
A new report by 4Children claims that up to 35,000 mothers each year face postnatal depression (PND) without diagnosis or treatment. The survey is based on the experiences of women, many of whom, in retrospect, believe that they experienced PND but were not diagnosed. The Nice recommendations for mild to moderate PND prioritise guided self-help and home-based "listening visits", but the 4Children survey suggests that GPs are more likely to prescribe antidepressants; of the women who saw health professionals, 70% were prescribed antidepressants while 41% were given access to talking therapies. Given the paucity of data (4Children asserts that neither primary care trusts nor the Department of Health has much reliable information about how many women are diagnosed each year), it's difficult to say whether an increasing proportion of more severe cases accounts for these figures. What we do know, according to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, is that between 10% and 15% of new mothers (and around 10% of men) experience PND.
GP Kate Nicholson talks to iMama.tv about the differences between baby blues and postnatal depression
Midwife Sofie Jacons talks to iMama.tv about therapy for PND
Have you suffered from PND following the birth of your baby? Where did you go to seek support? Do you feel there is a shortage of support for women suffering from PND?
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