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peer edit this Abstract Postpartum depression affects…
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Abstract
Postpartum depression affects approximately 900,000 women annually, but only approximately 6% seek psychological help (Postpartum, Progress, 2016). To understand the relationship between Postpartum Depression and misconceptions, it is essential to investigate factors such as cultural beliefs, stigma, and lack of medical understanding. These factors are thrown onto parental figures when childbirth happens. Previous research has indicated that the mental illness helping rate is very low and that stigma and discrimination make it more likely for patients not to want the help they desire. However, the research is limited in addressing that there needs to be more effort put into reducing the stigma associated with Postpartum Depression and increasing awareness in new mothers and fathers and their support system to help address the gaps that currently exist in assisting postpartum patients. We used data to systematically examine the literature to identify postpartum depression help-seeking barriers and maternal treatment preferences. Contrary to what has often been assumed, patients with Postpartum Depression that tend to abide by social norms hide their inner conflicts. The study’s findings show the need for awareness to improve perinatal mental health literacy and address prejudices and negative stereotypes related to postpartum depression in society.
Keywords: Postpartum Depression, stereotype, stigma, awareness, help-seeking, misconceptions
Stereotype Analysis: Awareness needed for Individuals with Postpartum Depression
What is society’s primary focus when a woman has recently given birth? The attention revolves around the newborn, and so we rarely focus on the woman’s needs after undergoing such a challenging, heart-racing task. After a baby is born, feelings of sadness, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion arise, known as baby blues. Baby blues takes place because of the quick hormone change after birth. Typically, it can go in either two routes, the emotions can go away, or it can become a long-lasting form of depression called Postpartum Depression. Those feelings can significantly impact a woman’s ability to care for and bond with her unborn or newborn child. Throughout a woman’s pregnancy, loved ones are constantly checking in on these women in both their physical and mental health. Women typically experience tremendous amounts of support during their nine months of pregnancy. At times, some may even be overly cautious with women during their pregnancy and may even treat women as objects made of glass. Some of these actions may include performing household duties such as cleaning and cooking, bringing everything to the woman so she does need to stand, and being there for any need the woman may have. Overall, making the woman’s life much simpler and making the woman much more dependent. However, once the child is born, the woman is no longer made of glass. Now, the newborn child is treated as the glass object and the woman returns to being a “regular” woman. The issue is women require more help and attention once given birth. They’re body is still adjusting from their pregnancy body and their responsibilities have become multiplied. Now that they have become mothers, both their mental and physical self has changed and they may need guidance during this time. However, women find it difficult to seek help due to a number of factors. Not only do women have to readjust their life and priorities, but their significant others are also affected post birth of their child. Media has led women with Postpartum Depression to become misunderstood, depicting these women as “crazy” and mothers who refuse to love their children; these misconceptions make mothers avoid getting the help they need.
With Postpartum Depression, there is a sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone levels, leaving the mother to lack sleep and other difficulties related to having a baby, which is very different from general depression. Many misconceptions arise, and the mom gets called “crazy” and that she is going to harm her children, etc. Many people get confused about the idea of depression and psychosis. Psychosis is a very severe disorder that can happen to a mother after birth which causes life-threatening thoughts and behaviors. It can lead to bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, which require emergency treatment as soon as possible. Its symptoms include delusion, hallucinations, and paranoia which is very different from Postpartum Depression. With Postpartum Depression, thoughts of wanting to hurt children do not form. There are prone to be more thoughts of the mother wanting to hurt herself than the child. The stigma around women not loving their children and wanting to harm them is very untrue, “nearly 50% of women with Postpartum Depression who were referred to a perinatal mental health group had “definitely” or “possibly” attempted suicide while postpartum, and suicide completion accounts for approximately 10% of maternal mortalities”(Schofield) et, al, 2023). The relationship between depression and a mother’s love for her children is not related, but that does not mean the mother’s bond with her child is not impacted. The mom’s guilt for not appreciating the new child further complicates the condition. This self-perception may cause affected mothers to close off and avoid discussing their feelings with others, so it is vital that society can recognize the signs.
Being that Postpartum Depression becomes so heavily stereotyped, it causes women not to seek the help they need. Due to this, there is a significant impact caused by untreated Postpartum Depression. Women can become neglected in their relationships. After birth, men can either attribute the cause of the problem to uncontrollable events or blame the woman (Ruffell et al., 2019). There are social expectations for mothers when it comes to motherhood. Women are expected to deal with most, if not all, of the childbearing. They are expected to care for their child and take most of the responsibility of the two parents, even though they are still recuperating from giving birth. Mothers are expected to fulfill all of their infant’s needs and to be able to predict what their baby desires. A mother’s life becomes highly occupied post-birth. Besides their daily routine and obligations, they have added on the responsibilities of raising a child. Due to this, it may become difficult to balance their life. The most challenging pressure society puts on mothers is that they expect them to feel happy and fulfilled at all times post-birth. If they do not feel this way, society views it as mothers feeling unappreciative of their motherhood role and disliking their children. When women do not fit into these high demands of a mother’s role, it can cause their significant other to respond to them differently emotionally and to perceive them differently. Neglecting and blaming a woman going through Postpartum Depression cannot positively impact the individual. To continue, another impact that untreated Postpartum Depression can cause is men. They have more complex psychological distress in comparison to men whose partners do not suffer from PPD. In the article titled “Psychological Health of Men with Partners Who Have Postpartum Depression,” the authors include that men have high rates of comorbidity in general. Comorbid psychological disturbances are when two or more conditions are present simultaneously in an individual. In relation to this, they combine depression, anxiety, and alcohol abuse disorders as a high-rate combination (Roberts et al., 2006). Substance abuse cannot bring anything positive into a relationship as it becomes an added problem on top of the Postpartum Depression that the couple is facing. Through cthe study they ran, it was discovered that men whose partners suffered from Postpartum Depression had more psychological distress in comparison to men whose partners did not suffer from this. Some of the distress included would be problem fatigue and sleeping problems. Men who undergo this cannot be there fully for their significant other as they are not doing well. They cannot help others when they are not stable themselves. The best outcome in a relationship is if men can support their significant others while going through this difficult time.
Not only does Postpartum Depression affect women, but it also affects their significant others. Paternal Postpartum Depression is an issue that is rarely spoken about. The stereotype revolving around Postpartum Depression never includes men as it always focuses on the mother and their child’s relationship. However, fathers are a vital component of the family as well. It took both the mother and father to create the child, yet we disregard the father’s role post-childbirth. Men also undergo a change when their child is born. They are not the ones who give birth and do not have a physical change, but that is not a reason to disregard their mental health. Men have now entered fatherhood with a new mentality and potential lifestyle. They can go through a series of negative emotions. Men will potentially suffer stress, depression, feelings of helplessness, shock, confusion, and anxiety. When women endure Postpartum Depression, their significant others become a support system for their loved ones. Couples may break down or grow stronger within their relationship due to Postpartum Depression. It can cause couples to argue, lose communication, and constantly lack trust. However, other couples can grow resilience in their relationship. They become a team. Problems are not a “you and I” problem but becomes a “we” problem. These couples tend to grow in communication and collaboration, as well as there are positive emotions associated with them (Ruffell et al., 2019). Additionally, when men become a support system for their loved ones during Postpartum Depression, they become more involved with their infant child. This shows how fathers create a strong bond with their infants and are further pulled into fatherhood. Being a partner and a father creates a positive connection with one another through this time spent together. Men who suffer from Postpartum Depression may also refrain from asking for help regarding their mental health. This may be due to not wanting to worry others, such as their significant other, or wanting to avoid becoming a burden to others. The society also expects men to be strong and the protectors of the family. By asking for help, they may feel afraid to be viewed as “weak” and a “bad protector”. The way men cope with Postpartum depression is through social, practical, and/or avoiding coping. In social coping, men seek support from their loved ones. This could vary from their significant other, family, and friends. Through practical coping, men attempted to solve their problems. They would learn more about the issue they were undergoing and try to treat it themselves. There were different ways this could be done. Some men take their significant other to find professional assistance and learn all the necessities for themselves there, whereas other men may research on their own. In avoidant coping, men avoid the issue and pretend nothing is wrong. Through this, some men may use substances to help avoid their pain by creating numbness. Some men use this strategy to hide their emotions from their significant other.
Beliefs and attitudes regarding Postpartum Depression have increased many people’s expectations of their stigma toward those with mental illness. Women and men experiencing Postpartum Depression do not want to seek help, leaving them untreated and undiagnosed. It makes them feel ashamed to ask for help and to be perceived as the stereotype of not having love for their child or being unstable. There are multiple factors that lead individuals who suffer from Postpartum Depression to not seek the help they need. There are individuals who are afraid of becoming a burden to those they love, have trouble communicating their emotions, or are afraid of the judgment of others. Being that Postpartum Depression is not heavily spoken about, there are individuals who cannot acknowledge that what they are going through is indeed a mental illness that they can be receiving help for. Fear is the reason people do not seek the help they need and the consequences of this can be long lasting. The condition should not be viewed as a weakness or flaw. In new moms, there are many changes in the brain areas. This involves emotion regulation and there are several other brain regions that help drive mothering behaviors and mood. If Postpartum Depression is not treated, it can lead to relationships falling apart, substance abuse, neglect, and anxiety. It is important for individuals to be informed that Postpartum Depression and Psychosis are two very different mental illnesses, with Psychosis being much more severe. Postpartum Depression is not the equivalent of not loving your newborn child. Some parents fall in love with their baby overtime, and that is okay, experiencing the loving feeling right afterbirth isnt always common. As a society, we need to make more resources that cater to mental health professionals and the mental health of the people. There is a very low awareness of this mental illness. By promoting more knowledge about it rather than letting society’s barriers get in the way would mean better as a population. By seeking help, it does not mean the individual is “crazy” as society views it to be. It can become an ongoing depressive disorder if left untreated and it is important for individuals who suffer from Postpartum Depression to know that they are not alone and that there is someone ready to assist if they allow themselves to be helped.
References
Rahman, I. A., Bhatti, T. A., & Yaqoob, U. (2018). Postpartum depressionIt’s time to pay attention. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 31, 111. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.02.010. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876201818300236).
Roberts, S. L., Bushnell, J. A., Collings, S. C., & Purdie, G. L. (2006). Psychological health of men with partners who have post-partum depression. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(8), 704-711. https://doi-org.lib-proxy.fullerton.edu/10.1111/j.1440-1614.2006.01871.x
Ruffell, B., Smith, D. M., & Wittkowski, A. (2019). The experiences of male partners of women with postnatal mental health problems: A systematic review and thematic synthesis. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(10), 2772-2790. https://doi-org.lib-proxy.fullerton.edu/10.1007/s10826-019-01496-4
Schofield, C. A., Brown, S., Siegel, I. E., & Moss-Racusin, C. A. (2023). What you don’t expect
when you’re expecting: Demonstrating stigma against women with postpartum psychological disorders. Stigma and Health. https://doi-org.lib-proxy.fullerton.edu/10.1037/sah0000431.supp (Supplemental)
Author links open overlay panelBrittany G. Grissette, 900, A. P. depression affects approximately, Selix, N. W., Milgrom, J., Maimburg, R. D., Liberto, T. L., Kingston, D. E., Kingston, D., Henshaw, E., Henshaw, E. J., Guy, S., Foulkes, M., Fonseca, A., Byatt, N., Abraham-Smith, K., & Bell, L. (2018, October 6). Barriers to help-seeking behavior among women with postpartum depression. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. Retrieved March 5, 2023, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0884217518303216
