Understanding mental health. Image source: Novo Health Africa
Angela Onwuzoo
Maternal and mental health experts say it has become crucial for the federal and state governments to integrate mental health into antenatal care.
This, they noted will not only address the burden of mental health problems in the country but will reduce the risk of children coming down with mental health issues later in life.
The physicians said expectant mothers ought to be taught about postnatal depression at antenatal clinics.
According to them, integration has become more crucial than ever before as a lot of new mothers are coming down with depression also known as postpartum depression after delivery
The World Health Organisation defines maternal mental health as “A state of well-being in which a mother realizes her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and can contribute to her community.”
The experts explained that chemicals in the brain were responsible for mental health issues, adding that pregnancy causes a lot of female hormones to be produced and when produced, the level continues to increase throughout the three trimesters.
Stating these during exclusive interviews with PUNCH HealthWise, they noted that a mother is an important source of psychological nurturing for a child.
The experts expressed concern that while the physical health of women and children is emphasized, the mental aspects are often ignored by maternal and child health programmes of the government.
A Consultant Psychiatrist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr. Olayinka Atilola, told our correspondent that many of the mental health problems presented at the hospital lately could have been averted if women got appropriate mental health care during pregnancy and after delivery.
He said, “One of the most important things for the optimal development of a child is good physical and nutritional nurturing as well as good psychological nurturing.
“We know that a significant percentage of mothers after delivery, fall into postpartum depression. Sometimes, it is severe, mild or moderate. But a significant number of new mothers suffer postpartum depression.
“Now, when mothers suffer from depression, their capacity to give psychological nurturing to their children is limited. And when psychological nurturance is not provided, chances are that the psychological development of the child is compromised from the beginning.
“Unrecognised psychological problems in mothers, especially postpartum depression come at a cost for child development and the optimal well-being of the child is affected from the foundation.”
The psychiatrist said access to mental health services in Nigeria is very poor and that a lot of people with mental health problems are not getting the services that they need.
Giving insight into the importance of incorporating mental health into ANC, Dr. Atilola said, “Many of the psychological problems that people bring to the hospital are traceable to what happened to them in their childhood.
“So, the integration of mental health into antenatal care now means that we stand a chance of recognizing those psychological issues early in mothers to address them. This will save the country from the burden of children that will be raised by depressed mothers, who will not have the psychological nurturance that is needed for optimal development and will stand the risk of mental health problems in the future.
“Again, the integration of mental health into ANC can reduce the burden of mental health problems by the adult population later by 20-30 per cent.”
An Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr. Stanley Egbogu says inclusion of mental health into ANC is important because of the association between pregnancy and psychosis especially at the point of delivery.
“The stress of labor, environmental, social, and family factors can make a woman depressed after delivery. There should be doctors and nurses to provide counselling for those women as regard their mental health conditions during ANC. Before a woman delivers, she should have an assessment of her mental health status, whether she will have a vaginal delivery or cesarean section.”, he said.
A recent meta-analysis by the WHO showed that about 20 per cent of mothers in developing countries experience clinical depression after childbirth.
“This is much higher than the previous figures on prevalence coming mostly from high-income countries. Suicide is an important cause of death among pregnant and postpartum women. Psychosis is much less common but may also lead to suicide and in some cases even harming the newborn.
“Depression causes enormous suffering and disability and reduced response to a child’s needs. Evidence indicates that treating the depression of mothers leads to improved growth and development of the newborn and reduces the likelihood of diarrhea and malnutrition among them”, WHO stated.
According to The Child Health and Development Institute, failure to identify mothers with mental health disorders and connect them to helpful interventions is an enormous missed opportunity to ensure the healthy development of children.
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