New Delhi, 22 September (IANS). Health experts said on Monday that there is an urgent need to integrate maternal mental health in national programs to help new mothers to fight depression, anxiety and other situations after delivery.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 10 percent of pregnant women worldwide experience mental disorders, mainly depression.
More than 2.5 crore children are born per year in India, but during pregnancy and after one year of birth (called “delivery period”) most of the women suffering from mental health problems are not detected nor treated. This happens especially in rural areas.
A recent systematic review among the delivery women in India found that the prevalence rate of delivery depression in community-based studies was between 14–24 percent, while some meta-analysis presented a joint estimate of about 22 percent for postpartum depression.
Although the maternal mortality in India declined by more than 50 percent since the early 2000s, now it has increased to 97 per 1,00,000, the ratio of maternal suicides is also increasing. A recent report in Kerala estimated that the cause of the death of one in five mother in 2020 was suicide.
Prof. of AIIMS Rajesh Sagar said, “There is an urgent need to include maternal mental health in national programs in India.”
Speaking in an expert consultation on delivery mental health in the national capital, the expert expressed concern over the lack of a dedicated initiative to help the new mothers facing mental health problems.
Sagar said, “Although the National Mental Health Policy 2014, Mental Health Care Act 2017 and other policies mention women’s mental health, there is no dedicated program or investigation mechanism.”
Prof. of Nimhans Experts, including Prabha Chandra, highlighted the shortcomings of doctors, nurses and ASHA workers, shortage of relevant equipment and the ‘social spots’ that prevents women from seeking psychological help even after positive examination.
He insisted on gathering necessary information during state-specific strategies, cooperation between states, capacity building and prenatal care.
Dr. Y.K., Head of Mental Health Program at George Institute for Global Health India Sandhya said, “It is important to ensure that delivery mental health is not seen as a separate subject as it changes the attitude towards women suffering from delivery mental health problems. They begin to be discriminated against; I believe that it should be included in the regular and postpatting care of pregnant and breastfeeding women, so that it can benefit.”
-IANS
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