Kingston psychiatric facility presses wider backing for mothers’ mental wellness

With Jamaica taking part in the worldwide Maternal Mental Health Month observance, Bellevue Hospital wants a sharper national spotlight on how pregnancy and the postpartum period affect women’s minds, alongside firmer backing for women as they carry and recover from childbirth.

The institution acknowledges gains so far but says broader teaching and public conversation are still required so expectant and new mothers, and society at large, can grasp what maternal mental illness can involve.

Dr Roger Roberts, who serves as senior medical officer at Bellevue Hospital, pointed to mechanisms already aimed at spotting problems early.

“Mental health screening is mandatory when pregnant mothers are booked at their antenatal clinics. More work is required in the area of maternal mental health promotion, as this will not only help mothers but improve the mental health literacy of the population,” he said.

Roberts said low mood and heightened anxiety rank among the conditions women most often face while expecting and after giving birth. He said vulnerability rises for women who already live with psychiatric illness, who lack a reliable social circle, who face friction in intimate relationships, who are under money pressure, who sleep badly, and who are delivering for the first time.

He added that red flags can show up as ongoing low spirits, worry that will not ease, a short fuse, exhaustion, pulling back from usual pursuits, a sense of despair or self-blame, and, when illness is grave, ideas about hurting oneself or the newborn.

Bellevue Hospital is also underscoring how serious outcomes can follow when maternal mental disorders go unaddressed. Roberts said such illness can mean missed antenatal visits, refusal or irregular use of prescribed care, and added danger of babies arriving small for gestational age or too soon.

When cases are extreme, he said, untreated psychiatric disease can end in a mother’s death by suicide or injury to the baby, can weaken the parent–child tie, and can cast a long shadow over how the child grows and learns.

The hospital is likewise stressing how relatives and spouses can shift the trajectory for a woman in crisis.

“Family support is important during and after pregnancy. Support from the partner is of great importance to the mother,” Roberts said, adding that steady encouragement, hands-on help with daily tasks, and guarding a woman’s chance to sleep can all lift how she feels.

Even where services exist, he said, shame and dread of being labelled keep numerous women from speaking up.

“Mothers with mental health challenges often feel guilty and ashamed. They often feel like they are failing their babies and that others will judge them,” he said.

Bellevue Hospital is asking women to reach for assistance without delay and to confide in people they trust as well as clinicians such as midwives, general practitioners, obstetrician–gynaecologists, and specialists in psychiatry.

“Depression and anxiety are treatable conditions and help is available. Do not be afraid to reach out for help,” Roberts urged.