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Not just depression: the mental disorder that afflicts women after childbirth

The phenomenon of postpartum depression is gaining more traction in recent years, but it is still considered taboo.

New research shows that there is another mental disorder that is not talked about at all but attacks women in significant percentages

Tags

• Postpartum depression

• OCD

• Mental disorders

• Birth

• Pregnancy

Walla!

health

Friday, 26 March 2021, 07:00 Updated: 07:24

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Ilan Rabinovich, Health, Walla Psycho, Depression, Walla Studio (Editing: Nir Chen)

For years, common issues like depression and anxiety during pregnancy and postpartum have been under the radar of doctors, and also of expectant mothers, but today it is already known that postpartum depression is common, and that 1 in 6 women will experience it.

Now, a new and surprising study points to another mental state that is attacking new mothers - obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD.

"We found that the estimated prevalence of OCD throughout the delivery period - from early pregnancy to delivery - was 7.8 percent," said the study's editor, Professor Nicole Fairbrother of the University of British Columbia, "and when we examined the prevalence in the postpartum period after 38 weeks. From the moment of birth, the numbers have risen to 16.9 percent, "said Prof. Fairbrother.

According to her, the numbers are really high, as it is more than 15 percent of women who are pregnant or have recently given birth who suffer from OCD.

The findings were published in the Journal of Psychiatry.

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People with OCD face a pattern of unwanted thoughts and fears, called obsessions, that can lead to repetitive or compulsive behaviors.

Previous estimates have shown that OCD was relatively rare and only about 2 percent of women suffered from the condition during or after pregnancy, the Huffington Post reported.

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Prof Fairbrother said there are a number of reasons why previous assessments were underestimations.

First, diagnostic criteria for those with OCD have expanded slightly in recent years, and its research is the first to use the new definition.

But she and her team also recognized that the standard questions used to diagnose OCD may not take into account the specific experiences of new mothers.

"Postpartum women certainly have many factors that increase their risk."

Mother breastfeeding baby (Photo: ShutterStock)

"When we ask them standard OCD assessment questions, they do not necessarily recognize the phenomenon in them, it is very common for women who have experienced OCD after giving birth to experience thoughts about damage to their baby, and they may think for example 'what if something bad happens to my baby by mistake', but "They can also think unwanted invasive thoughts about hurting the baby on purpose, even though they do not want to do it," she explained.

By formulating the questions and conversations with them a little more carefully, to include for example specific questions about baby harm, the researchers believe they have been able to better understand how many women actually deal with OCD.

It is not yet clear why OCD seems to be relatively common among new mothers, but Fairbrother said postpartum women certainly have many factors that increase their risk.

OCD can develop or worsen when people with unwanted and invasive thoughts are shocked by them and feel unable to prevent them, which often aggravates their condition.

"Everyone has unwanted, invasive thoughts," Prof Fairbrother added, "but new mothers may feel particularly disturbed. Also, people are more likely to think such thoughts about someone who seems helpless or vulnerable."

Overnight get a warranty on a small baby.

A newborn baby (Photo: Flash 90, Hadas Porush)

"When you look at new parents, they experience overnight the responsibility for a tiny baby, who has lied to them especially and seems vulnerable," Prof. Fairbrother explained.

Ultimately, she hopes her staff's new findings will raise awareness of this common mental state, both among mothers and those who care for them.

Experts believe that postpartum OCD can be treated relatively easily, but only if women are able to receive the appropriate treatment, can it be a major challenge when the disorder remains unintelligible and unrecognized, even among mental health providers, and when the shame mothers face can prevent them Seek help.

Many new mothers are reluctant to bring up issues related to postpartum mental health because they are scared to be judged, or may even be taken from the baby.

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