Perinatal Mood Disorders: What You Need to Know
Prenatal depression and postpartum anxiety disorder affect one in ten. And recent studies and clinical work are now recognizing the prevalence (3-6%) of disorders like prenatal anxiety, postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and postpartum post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Many theories abound as to why these psychological disorders occur in relation to pregnancy. Hormonal fluctuations, increased stress and underlying, chronic inflammatory processes are all vying for attention and, thankfully, are finally receiving it. In no event, does a perinatal mood disorder represent “bad parenting,” “inadequacy for motherhood” or other judgments against the woman, herself.
