Over 50% of mothers suffer from postpartum depression

Over 50 percent of mothers suffer from postpartum depression, but many of them are unable to get any help to relieve it, a report showed Thursday.

According to the report by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that surveyed 2,911 women who gave birth in 2017, 50.3 percent of them suffered from the condition within six weeks of childbirth. Thirty-three percent continued to suffer from depression until nine to 20 months after delivery.

One out of five, or 22 percent, said they were unable to receive help for their condition, with the ratio being higher among young mothers — 34.7 percent of those under 25 said they had to deal with the depression on their own.

Half of the surveyed people said their husbands helped them recover.

Seventy-five percent of the women enrolled in a postnatal care center after giving birth for an average of 13.2 days at an average cost of 2.21 million won ($1,970).

The main reason for using the centers was to receive care without having to look after their baby because staff members did. They also wanted to get expert help and knowledge about childcare.

The average cost for at-home postnatal care was estimated at 960,000 won. Those who chose the at-home care did so mainly because they had other children to take care of.