Dr. ARIF MAGHRIBI KHAN
Mental health problems are always unfortunately stigmatized, we can say safely around the world females are most affected but get least help. PTSD, Anxiety disorders or Psychotic disorders before pregnancy easily get attention but following group of stress disorders do not get much attention during or after pregnancy. Pregnancy or miscarriages both easily cause depression. The symptoms include sad mood, anger, blame game, and being jealous of all. Since most of her relatives’ are sympathetic towards her rather empathetic, it causes loss of self esteem and feeling alone.
Depression after pregnancy: Even in this decade, be it Kashmir or Rajasthan birth of a girl child is a unwelcome event, also domestic violence after marriage and during marriage and pregnancy is seen in some families in one form or other. Many of us want to have at-least one male child, and in mean time many female children are born, which results in deterioration of mothers health, both physical and psychological. Even in 2023 babies were abandoned at hospitals. Male child is considered as blessings by some families, although females in our UT are doing all kind of strenuous jobs like in police, teaching, becoming pilots etc. They have proven they are no lesser with dedication and handwork.
Sadly working women have to do two jobs, at office and at home. We do not appreciate such working women, ideally both males and females can cook as cooking is not gender specific job. Once upon a time joint families with grandmothers, grandfathers were best counselors to newly wedded couples to child birth to their adolescence life, but now due to increasing trend of nuclear families, even sickness of baby, awakening the parents causes severe distress to lactating mother. Mother is severely depleted of proper sleeping hours. In such cases other family members must provide a protective shield to her.
Among my clients I have found large number of lactating mothers working mostly in private sector getting a curtailed maternity leave, which as human beings must concern us all and severe punishment must be given to such companies in private sector. Government has made a compassionate policy for maternity leave, but in all sectors be it education or Private Companies, quite often unnecessary hurdles are created by senior staff.
Following core group of women need special counseling
- Women who are pregnant but suffered from domestic violence or facing it now, or women who had abortions of any kind in the past.
- Looking at the ratio of females to males in Kashmir, many pregnant mothers must be facing pressure to terminate pregnancy.
- Pregnant mothers who are diagnosed with depression or O.C.D, their medicine should be closely monitored by their respective psychiatrists.
- ICDS or ASHA workers can play role of a catalyst
- Adequate sleep for pregnant and lactating mother is the best gift we can give her.
Lastly caring for the new born should not be only responsible of mother only, its right time that fathers should play a pro-active role rather than reactive role and remember we all need eight hours of sleep, to keep our body rejuvenated.
(Author is a medical doctor and can be mailed at [email protected])
