Child Development and Public Health

Over the past few years the subject of mental health has definitely become more prevalent in the media, news and in general conversation. Due to the recent pattern of horrific media violence and public shootings the discussion surrounding mental health awareness has skyrocketed. Recently the media has showcased numerous commercials for help and support as well as many films featuring the “hero” struggling and conquering his or her mental health issues. All I can say is-it’s about time!

This public health topic speaks to me because one of my closest friends suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter. Before realizing she was in fact a victim of depression she tried bottling up her emotions because she was embarrassed and “felt like a failure”. She said that she had a hard time connecting with her daughter and therefore felt like a terrible mother and a terrible person. To make matters worse her older sister had been trying to conceive for years without any success and had begun seeing a fertility specialist when her younger sister became pregnant. You can imagine how awful my friend felt. She just gave birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl and her older sister was still trying to conceive. Pair this with her feelings of unhappiness towards her situation and towards this beautiful baby girl and you could just imagine the emotional turmoil she was facing. She battled with postpartum silently for nearly three months when finally her husband spoke up about how she just seemed “off”. My friend didn’t think it was postpartum depression because she wasn’t crying all the time and she was “functioning” in her day to day life. We are so lucky that we have access to publicly funded support programs for mental health. In fact we are lucky that there is a National awareness about postpartum depression so that my friend could get the help she needed for her and her family.

While researching this topic I discovered that most countries in North America and Europe offer publicly funded support programs for mental health. In places like Ghana, however, there are significant challenges to providing adequate mental health care for new moms. These issues include a lack of trained staff, funding barriers, lack of affordable medications, and social stigma."Postpartum depression is well known in the United States, and we recognize that pregnancy and the postpartum period are vulnerable times for maternal mental health," says Gold. "But in low income nations, many people view symptoms of depression as spiritual or personal issues rather than a psychiatric condition which could be treated" (Science Daily, 2013).

I commend women like Brooke Shields for sharing their experiences with the world.

I think that it is crucial that we spread awareness about mental disorders and the support that is available to parents, children and families. More and more we are hearing about cases where mental illness affects and takes the lives of its victims needlessly. Until recently there has been a stigma about mental illness even in Canada and the United States. It has been linked with shame and embarrassment and a stereotype that someone is “crazy” or “unstable” if they need support. We need to be advocates for the children and families in our care to speak out against these misconceptions so that people get the care they need and deserve.

References

Science Daily, (January 8, 2013). Postpartum Depression Prevalent in Under-Developed

Countries, Could Impact Baby Health and Mortality. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130108122447.htm