More than 25 million babies are born in India each year, yet the majority of pregnant and postpartum women with mental health concerns remain undiagnosed and mistreated, particularly in rural regions. Experts, including those from NIMHANS and AIIMS, added that rigid social standards and ingrained male child preference still deprive women of autonomy over their bodies and pregnancy choices. The mental health of women was impacted by recurrent pregnancies, domestic abuse, and the stigma associated with giving birth to a girl or a child with a disability.
In India, a significant proportion of women suffer from undiagnosed and untreated perinatal depression and psychosis, which have an impact on the mother's health as well as the baby's and the family's overall well-being. While several meta-analyses showed a pooled estimate of about 22 per cent for postpartum depression, a recent systematic review of perinatal women in India found that prevalence rates for perinatal depression varied from 14 to 24 per cent in community-based research.
Maternal suicide accounts for a growing percentage of maternal deaths in India, despite the fact that maternal mortality has decreased by more than 50 per cent since the early 2000s to 97 deaths per 100,000.
By tackling obstacles like poverty, gender inequality, domestic abuse and stigma, the Perinatal Mental Health (PRAMH) Project seeks to incorporate perinatal mental health into standard maternal care. The PRAMH study's Phase 2 examined workable, scalable solutions to guarantee that moms in rural India receive prompt, culturally appropriate assistance after detecting crucial deficiencies in Telangana and Haryana.
It is crucial that we address these underlying socioeconomic issues in communities in addition to giving women's mental health first priority. Stronger communities and healthier mothers, kids, and families depend on supporting women in these areas. In order to promote prenatal mental health and address its major social factors, especially for women in rural India, the experts emphasised the urgent need to develop a roadmap for action.
According to a recent report in Kerala, over one in five maternal deaths in 2020 were thought to be caused by maternal suicide. Growing socioeconomic disparities, stigma, and limited access to mental health services exacerbate the discrepancy.
In order to make perinatal mental health sustainable, it must be integrated into the regular prenatal and postnatal care that expectant and nursing mothers receive. Failure to do so could exacerbate the stigma and discrimination that women with perinatal mental health issues experience. It is imperative for detrimental customs to be broken and key gaps to be filled through capacity building, orientation, and hands-on training. This includes educating sarpanches, in-laws, particularly men, employers from all industries, ASHAs, and frontline healthcare professionals. This will guarantee improved prenatal mental health outcomes in addition to accessible and reasonably priced childcare options, including creche centres, to help assist mothers and families.