Lonely struggle for women who don’t know they have perinatal depression – The National

Lonely struggle for women who don’t know they have perinatal depression – The National

Becoming pregnant, giving birth and looking after a baby are a source of joy for many women, but some find that the experiences around having a child are overwhelmed by unhappiness.

Perinatal depression affects about a quarter of women, either before they give birth (antenatal or prenatal) or when they are caring their baby (postnatal or postpartum).

One mother experiencing symptoms told Dr Khalood Al Abri, who has researched the issue in Oman, that she lived “within the thoughts” she developed.