Over 91% Indian women experience perinatal or postpartum depression, only 33% receive treatment: Report
38% of moms said they felt stressed or anxious. Contrary to what may be perceived, of these only 6% visited a doctor or a health professional for a consultation. Only 9% of respondents said they never faced pregnancy-related stress or melancholy.
FollowAs many as 62% of expecting/new moms felt stressed, anxious and sad in the happiest time of their lives, 34% of moms had no idea why they felt the same, 40% of moms believed it was normal to feel low during/after pregnancies.
Mylo, an ITC-backed leading full-stack D2C platform for new and expecting mothers, recently conducted a survey around the awareness and prevalence of perinatal (during pregnancy) and postpartum (after delivery) depression amongst women in India, marking the occasion of World Mental Health Day worldwide on October 10.
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The theme for World Mental Health Day 2022 is 'Make mental health for all a global priority.'
Mylo surveyed 2000 women pan India in their community to also understand the social support systems available to women going through mental health and well-being issues.
Nearly 50% of the women surveyed in the poll confirmed feeling low, sad, experiencing rapid mood swings with sporadic crying episodes, during or after their pregnancy.
38% of moms said they felt stressed or anxious. Contrary to what may be perceived, of these only 6% visited a doctor or a health professional for a consultation. Only 9% of respondents said they never faced pregnancy-related stress or melancholy.
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34% of moms surveyed stated that they were clueless about why they felt such an abrupt change in emotions during possibly one of the happiest phases of their lives. Lack of sleep (18.5%), followed by feeling pressure from those around them to continue with their household activities (12%) are perceived to be the key stressors for such overhauling of emotions.
20% of the women shared that the effects of postpartum depression persist for 6 months to more than a year. If not treated on time, it can lead to severe mental health conditions which puts affected new mothers at risk of harming themselves.
55% of women say they were comfortable discussing these feelings with their partners, while 14% find comfort in talking with friends. Nearly 20% of the women said that they did not confide in anyone during their emotional upheaval.
To specifically understand what causes someone to close themselves off and not speak about their mental/emotional well-being, the survey also asked these women why they felt uncomfortable sharing their feelings.
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40% of them even believed that it was normal to experience these emotions and hence did not talk about it. 25% believed that it was not worth it to talk about their mental health as they believed their negative/unhappy emotions would eventually disappear on their own.
Almost 20% said that no one asked them about what they were going through and therefore did not know how to bring up the topic. 18% said they did not want to bother others with their troubles, while 12% felt that even if they described their issues, they were sure that others would not be available to help them.
Regarding awareness of pregnancy-related mental health issues, 34% of respondents said that they themselves had never heard of it prior to taking the survey.
There was a 50-50 split between women who felt their families were aware about the concepts of baby blues, perinatal and postpartum depression and those who were not. 30% reported that no one amongst their family and friends had discussed their mental well-being with them assuming that they would be in a happy frame of mind.
Reflecting on the survey data, Shaveta Gupta, Head of Content and Community, Mylo, said, "While many women across the country are familiar with the concept of mood changes that may come with pregnancy, it is troubling that a large section of them are still uncomfortable discussing this with anyone."
About Mylo, it is an ITC-backed leading full-stack D2C platform for expecting and new mothers. It acts as a close companion to mothers as they embark upon this journey of raising a family. The platform provides a personalised experience, a helpful community of mothers and experts, and curated products for everything a mother needs for her parenting journey.
(With inputs from PTI)
