A new study revealed new moms in the UK experienced more mental health issues during the country’s first COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. It was just last year when a similar study was released that showed the stress from COVID-19 increased rates of perinatal depression. Even Google took action for maternal mental health by launching a postpartum depression screening tool when winter hit late last year.
As we approach a year since the pandemic started, this new study is proof new mothers are in dire need of mental health help more than ever.
The study, published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, examined more than 600 women with babies between the ages of birth and 12 weeks old during the UK’s first lockdown. According to the study, nearly half of new mothers experienced depression and anxiety during the first lockdown at alarmingly high rates.
World Economic Forum reports that social distancing measures is one of the biggest factors that contributed to the high numbers of new moms experiencing depression and anxiety during lockdown.
Typically, after birth in the UK, the rates of depression and anxiety that are reported are around 15 percent. With the new study, it was similar results with 11 percent saying they were already clinically diagnosed with depression, and 18 percent with anxiety. But researchers dug deeper and determined more moms were experiencing depression and anxiety and had simply not had a clinical diagnosis of the two yet. During the time after birth, it can be hard for moms to spot the difference between postpartum depression and the baby blues.
The findings of the study are deeply concerning, World Economic Forum reports. Forty-three percent of women “met the criteria for clinically relevant depression,” while a whopping 61% met the benchmark for anxiety. Researchers say social distancing was the main major factor that led to more mothers feeling depressed and having anxiety.
According to Healio, Victoria Fallon, FHEA, CPsychol, of the department of psychology at the University of Liverpool, says during lockdown, new mothers had reduced access to care and services, and very limited social contact with family and friends.
Fallon also mentioned at the time of the study, there had been no data published that examined new mothers’ mental health during the coronavirus pandemic.
Researchers say the study is evidence that mental health interventions are a necessity for new mothers, so symptoms do not escalate. They are calling for the UK’s government to improve and keep access to perinatal mental health care during the pandemic and the years after in an effort to protect new mothers’ maternal wellbeing.
Sources: World Economic Forum, Healio