Women hiding signs of postnatal depression over ‘bad mother’ fears

 Women are hiding postnatal depression because they fear unsympathetic NHS staff and being labelled a “bad mother”, a study reveals.

A survey in the British Journal of General Practice also found new mothers kept quiet about mental anxiety and being unable to cope because they believed nurses would be more likely to focus on their baby’s weight than their own mental health.

Postnatal depression affects between 10 and 15 per cent of women after having a baby. While all new mothers are screened for depression around six weeks after giving birth, doctors’ leaders say appointments are too short to pick up signs of distress. One woman who took part in the surveys reviewed by the journal said: “There’s a huge stigma about feeling depressed, particularly postnatal”, while another said: “Coping was entwined with perceptions of good mothering. I felt like I was a bad mother and I couldn’t cope with it all.”

Dr Judy Shakespeare, who coauthored the study and speaks for perinatal mental health for the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: “We know it takes an enormous amount of courage for women to approach their doctor with concerns, so it is vital that when they do they are taken seriously, not told that what they are feeling is ‘normal’, and that they feel safe and secure enough to disclose feelings to healthcare professionals.”