Postnatal depression left untreated among thousands of mothers

As part of the charity’s Give me Strength campaign, parenting club Bounty questioned 2,000 mothers to find out about the prevalence, awareness and experience of postnatal depression.

There are 700,000 births in England and Wales each year and at least one in ten new motehrs will suffer from postnatal depression, which if left undiagnosed can lead to family breakdown, poor early bonding between babies and mothers, and put pressure on older siblings.

The research found that while one in ten women suffer from the condition, around half of women with postnatal depression do not seek any professional treatment. Among these women:

• 29 per cent did not realise they were suffering from post-natal depression
• 60 per cent id not believe their symptoms were serious enough to warrant treatment
• 33 per cent said they were too scared to tell anyone because they were afraid of what might happen to themselves or their child

The survey also found that many women with postnatal depression were dissatisfied with their treatment and felt that it was difficult to access information and counselling.

There was also a lack of awareness among doctors of the NICE guidelines to treat maternal depression, which recommend ‘talking therapy’ for women with mild or moderate postnatal depression.

The survey found that while seven in ten women were prescribed antidepressants by their GP, just four in ten referred to talking therapies, which are more likely to help them in the long term.

The report makes ten recommendations, including a national campaign led by the Department of Health to raise awareness of the symptoms of postnatal depression and challenge the stigma attached to it.

Anne Longfield, chief executive of 4Children, said, ‘Postnatal depression is a problem that with the right help, early on, can be treated successfully avoiding long-term impact on the rest of the family. However, many families are suffering the consequences of postnatal depression in silence, and even when they do seek help they all too often encounter a wall of indifference and a lack of empathy from medical professionals with an over reliance on antidepressants for treatment.’

‘This report calls for an end to the neglect of this destructive and prevalent illness to ensure that every mother is guaranteed the practical and emotional support he needs to avoid her unnecessary suffering and that of her family.’