Depression In Pregnancy, A Hidden Reality

Much has been heard about postpartum depression, despite the complexity of the subject. However, dealing with depression in pregnancy is much more complex. Unfortunately this disease has been deliberately hidden, in particular because it is mistaken for the mother’s lack of love or interest for the baby.

For years it was mistakenly believed that hormones were able to protect pregnant women from depression. However, recent studies have shown that it is not possible to avoid this disorder in this way. Like the mental illness that it is, depression appears openly in anyone.

If it were to stop being treated as a taboo, perhaps this problem could revert to science. The main way to solve the situation is to diagnose it in time. In this regard, it is understood that the complexity to determine depression in pregnancy is that it is not anticipated. That is, it was supposed to appear after the baby was born.

Despite being a known disorder, it is not addressed in the right way. When hormone levels drop after childbirth, the woman is exposed to this problem, but this does not mean that it is exempt in other stages . Pregnancy is transformative in many ways, no particular change should surprise us.

Depression in pregnancy is more common than you think

Not because we are pregnant we stop being people, that does not change. Human beings are designed in such a way that we are affected by internal and external factors. It is important to be aware that we are vulnerable to many things. It is not our fault that this happens to us at such an important time.

The hormonal increase typical of pregnancy can make us the target of depression. This is not to say that we do not love our child. As is known, even our brain is modified at this stage, which is a momentous event. All that emotional charge, sensitivity and vulnerability, doesn’t happen out of nowhere.

Recent research has shown that at least 10% of pregnant women suffer from depression at some stage of pregnancy. It was also confirmed that the number of depressive episodes increases. It is generally believed that most cases are hidden, because women dismiss the symptoms and do not appreciate them.

The study

A team of researchers from the UNED Distance Education University, in collaboration with the San Carlos Clinical Hospital and the George Washington University; analyzed more than 700 patients. The study was carried out by professionals in the areas of obstetrics, psychology, nursing, and the midwifery unit.

The pregnant women were evaluated through different tests focused on the behavioral and cognitive area. It was found that at least 65% of women with prenatal depression go undiagnosed. In this regard, it is believed that most of the symptoms are underestimated.

Risk factor’s

Emotional changes in pregnant women are usually thought to be temporary and not due to a major problem. Anxiety, stress, insomnia and other factors were suspected to be the cause of the pregnant woman’s low mood. According to experts, there is some truth that various factors are involved, but not in the way we think.

Some women are more prone to depression in pregnancy. Biological, sociodemographic, medical, personal, psychopathological factors, among others, have been confirmed. The main risk factors are the following.

• Lack of social support or perception of it. Insufficient or ineffective help at the social level
• Unstable, complex, or severely impaired partner relationship
• Increased stress levels due to life events
• Risky or complicated pregnancy
• History of depression.