Reviewing Mental Health in Perinatology, a FOGSI “Manyata” Initiative

Abstract-Mental illnesses are a serious concern in India where every seventh person suffers from mental health problems[1,5]—with women more affected than men. While the burden of perinatal mental illnesses grows, India lacks exclusive policies to address it. Although postpartum depression or blues are restricted to the period of six weeks post-delivery, the roots of this condition are traced right from pre-pregnancy through the antenatal period to the period of one year post-delivery. We took up a study amongst postpartum mothers about their self-assessment of this condition, their awareness and their strategies to combat postpartum anxiety and reinforce the importance of psychological well-being as a part of routine assessment during antenatal period, fortified in the postpartum phase.