A public health approach to perinatal mental health: Improving health and wellbeing of mothers and babies

Abstract

Perinatal mental illnesses are one of the challenging aspects of public health. If not taken care of, then they can have a serious impact on women as well as their families. They constitute one of the major reasons behind the maternal mortality during pregnancy or in the later period after child birth with prevalence ranging from 10 to 20 %. The brighter side is that with proper care and support, women can make full recovery from such illness. However, in many places in the world, the perinatal mental health is not given its due recognition and as a result of which it is usually undiagnosed, undertreated and leads to suffering of women. This review article focuses on the global burden of perinatal mental illness and discusses a comprehensive approach to address the perinatal mental health in a community setup. In addition, it provides a comprehensive overview of public health approaches to find a sustainable solution to the mental health issues faced by millions of women throughout the world.

Keywords: Babies; Depression; Mother; Perinatal mental health; Pregnancy.