Today is the World Day for the Prevention of Suicide, a tragedy that almost doubles the deaths from traffic accidents in our country, and which however little is said about being considered a taboo subject.
Postpartum is a time that is likely to trigger depression and in extreme cases, awaken suicidal thoughts in recent mothersThat is why it is necessary to pay attention to this problem in women's mental health, talk about it and make it visible to be able to help them before it is too late.
Postpartum depression, warning sign
The birth of a child is a wonderful thing, but it also often causes sadness, worry and, above all, fatigue. It is normal for most women to experience what is known as "baby blues" or melancholy after childbirth, which usually lasts a few weeks. It is characterized by feelings of discomfort, irritability, melancholy or anxiety in the first days after delivery
However, when this feeling persists over time it can be triggered. a postpartum depression, a more common disorder than we think, that affects one in six women who give birth. What you have to understand is that it is not a superficial thought, but that depression includes neurochemical and hormonal changes They change the way the brain works.
According to WHO:
"People with depression usually have several of the following symptoms: loss of energy; changes in appetite; need to sleep more or less than normal; anxiety; decreased concentration; indecision; restlessness; feeling of worthlessness, guilt or hopelessness ; and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. "
When a woman suffers from postpartum depression she feels a great concern for the safety, health and well-being of the newborn, obsessive ideas and fear of harming the baby arise, as well as thoughts about her ability in her new role as a mother. There may also be disinterest and apathy and sometimes even desires to take your own life.
One study found that 6.6 percent of women with postpartum depression have suicidal thoughts, and 1.1 percent of them were identified as having a high risk of trying. That is why it is so important to recognize depression in time and pay attention to possible warning signs.
Suicide is the darkest face of postpartum depression. We have known cases of women who have reached the limit, such as Joe Bingley, a nurse affected by a depression to such an extent that ten weeks after the birth of her daughter left home, she placed herself before the train tracks and ended up with his life.
Risk factor's
There are studies that indicate that there are certain risk factors, variables that complicate the postpartum depression picture by taking it one step further and leading to suicidal ideations. They seem to include: having suffered childhood abuse, having had (before or during pregnancy) a major depression, alcohol consumption and substance abuse, having or having had anxiety disorders or a bipolar disorder.
According to a study published in the BJOG (International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology) in the cases of women who ended their lives within the first six months after giving birth, the main diagnoses were severe depression (21%), substance abuse (31%) and psychosis (38%).
It is not exclusive to mothers
While postpartum depression is almost always attributed to women, parents also suffer from it. Among fathers it has increased so much that it is almost as frequent as among mothers.
Therefore, prevention and help should also be extended to the couple, who in any case needs the support and compression of the other to overcome depression.
What to do if you have suicidal thoughts
It is important that if the mother detects signs of depression, seek professional help, or that if she does not express it, the mother's environment is attentive to possible warning signs.
If in addition to the depressive symptoms you had suicidal thoughts, be they ideas, verbalizations of them or explicit manifestations of the desire to “end everything”, you must act immediately.
At the minimum signal, without letting time pass, go to a professional, either your GP, the midwife or a mental health professional and tell you about your case. Having a conversation about it is not easy, but it is something you must do with whom you trust to try to find a solution.
Patients with severe signs of depression improve markedly with adequate treatment.
How to help a person with depression
Sometimes, the person with depression is unable to ask for help, so it is important that their environment, their partner, friends and family are aware of the recent mother to react to the minimum symptom.
On the other hand, what you can do to help a mother with depression, in addition to recommending her to go to a professional, is to provide her with emotional and logistical support to show her that she is not alone.
