Essay On Prenatal Depression

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Women all across the world struggle with depression through their lifetime. It becomes more common during a pregnancy, this is known as Prenatal Depression (PND). Although, PND isn’t a common topic to touch on during a women’s pregnancy, it’s very important for pregnant women to be aware of the subject. PND Is very common amongst pregnant women who are single, young, have a low income or previously struggle with major depression. Women are more likely to develop PND if they are frequent users of alcohol and tobacco during their pregnancy. It can also be a cause of an unhealthy or low eating habit.Two of the major reasons why women fail to treat their depression are, not being aware that they suffer from it in the first place or their fear …show more content…

Coming from a low income family, having unstable relationship, or experiencing huge amounts of stress contribute to developing MDD. It can be challenging to diagnose a pregnant women with MDD because its symptoms are very similar to pregnancy symptoms. Both can cause nausea, fatigue, food cravings, and lack of concentration. Some of the instrument used to detect PND like,the Beck Depression Inventory, are not reliable due the physical symptoms it depends on. The Edinburgh postnatal Depression scale (EPDS) is more reliable and is available in both English and Spanish. The EPDS consist of 10 questions that allow a counselor to detect any type of depression. This method is more effective since its not reliant on physical …show more content…

It might also help society to understand why sometimes a mother doesn’t feel connected to her baby. As a society we have this belief that a women creates a “special bond” the moment they are aware of the baby’s existence. And when we see pregnant women who don't seem happy about their baby’s arrival we automatically build this belief that she a bad mother. This article can help educate people about PND and why a pregnant women are a huge target of