Pregnant Women With Antenatal Depression Going Undiagnosed – Despite 1 In 10 Women Being Affected

Most of us are aware of postnatal depression, but what about antenatal depression?

According to leading baby charity Tommy’s, some 10 to 15 per cent of  women suffer from mental health problems DURING pregnancy – yet many of these disorders aren’t undiagnosed until after postnatal period, if at all.

Because of this, Tommy’s has launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness for those affected by depression or anxiety in pregnancy.

The charity's created a video, named 'Talk to Someone', that follows the story of a mum-to-be affected by antenatal depression and aims to encourage women in similar situations to ask for help – rather than suffer in silence.

The charity wants to see mental health treated as seriously as physical health is in pregnancy and urges women to seek help if they feel upset more often than they do happy. Symptoms of depression and anxiety include feeling sad, hopeless, tearful, irritable and losing interest in things that were previously enjoyed. Feelings like this that last longer than a couple of weeks should be checked out by a medical professional.

Around 11 per cent of women experience depressive symptoms in pregnancy and five per cent are thought to have a major depressive disorder. Anxiety disorders in the perinatal period (the time just before and just after birth) are also common, affecting some 13 per cent of women.

The stats also suggest that in a third of cases, postnatal depression actually starts during the pregnancy, but it is often not recognised or treated at this point.

“There is the expectation that a woman’s experience of pregnancy should always be joyous, but the truth is that pregnant women often put emotional and mental pressure on themselves to feel happy all the time,” says professor Louise Howard, consultant perinatal psychiatrist at King’s College London says.

“It is important for pregnant women not to feel embarrassed or guilty about experiencing the emotions they didn’t expect during pregnancy. They deserve compassionate support and should speak to a midwife, health visitor or GP for professional advice.”

You can get more info on mental health during pregnancy on Tommy's website.

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