Maternal Mental Health
If you are interested in counseling for Maternal Mental Health, call OakHeart at 630-570-0050 or 779-201-6440 or email us at [email protected]. We have counselors, psychologists, and social workers available to help you at one of our locations in North Aurora, IL, Sycamore, IL, and/or via Telehealth Online Therapy Services serving Kane County, DeKalb County, Dupage County, and beyond.
Maternal Mental Health refers broadly to mental health concerns specific to a women's experiences during and after pregnancy, sometimes referred to as the perinatal period. Pregnancy and the months and years that follow can bring with it a host of physical, emotional, and cognitive changes, sometimes resulting in a number of mental health concerns. Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD) have a relatively high prevelance during the antepartum and postpartum periods (ranging from around 10-20%; Postpartum Support International).
What Are Maternal Mental Health Issues?Pregnancy and the postpartum period can be an incredibly happy and exciting time for some women. For others, the experience can be more complicated and bring about feelings of isolation, fear, depression, anxiety, panic, etc. There may be many factors that contribute to the likelihood of an individual experiencing mental health concerns during the perinatal period such as prior history of depression or anxiety, lack of social support, marital/partner conflict and/or dissatisfaction, financial stressors, etc. Factors specific to the pregnancy or child may also impact the occurrence of maternal distress such as whether the pregnancy presents with any medical complications to the mother or baby, whether there was a traumatic birth, and infant temperament.
The following mental health issues may either worsen or develop during the perinatal period: Adjustment Disorders: Pregnancy and the transition to parenthood can be incredibly challenging, especially when factors such as sleep deprivation, healing from birth, new worries about parenting and safety related to the baby, stressors on relationships, etc. are considered. For some mother's and parent dyads, this transition period may be particularly difficult and result in significant distress and difficulty functioning. |
Depression: Postpartum depression is perhaps what comes to mind the most when considering issues regarding maternal mental health. Symptoms of depression following giving birth are sometimes referred to as the "baby blues" or "maternity blues." the "baby blues" can be a very normal experience for many women following giving birth. However, intense and persistent symptoms of sadness, loneliness, grief, tearfulness, irritability, etc. may signal that something more serious is occurring and an assessment by a mental health professional may be helpful. Unfortunately, many women suffering from serious depression and/or their support systems or doctor's may assume that they are experiencing "normal baby blues" and these women may delay getting appropriate treatment.
Symptoms of depression include persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood; feelings of hopelessness or pessimism; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities; decreased energy, fatigue, or being “slowed down”; difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions; difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping; appetite and/or weight changes; thoughts of death or dying; restlessness or irritability; aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment.
Anxiety Disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), is defined as frequent excessive anxiety and worry. In association with the worry, the individual may experience feeling restless or keyed up, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or having your mind go blank, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. Individuals with GAD tend to be hyperfocused on possible catastrophes that can happen in the future ("what if?").
Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent and sometimes unexpected and out-of-the-blue panic attacks. These panic attacks often feel as though they are coming out of the blue and can sometimes even occur while someone is asleep. Panic attacks are episodes of intense fear and anxiety, with symptoms such as pounding heart, heart palpitations, fast heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, shortness of breath, smothering sensations, feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, stomach distress, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling weak or faint, and feelings of unreality or of having an "out of body experience." Symptoms may include a feeling of dread or that something terrible is about to happen.
Because panic attacks are so distressing, individuals with Panic Disorder often worry about having them and avoid things that they believe to be triggers of their panic attacks. They also often engage in "safety behaviors" to try and prevent the attacks. For example, they may engage in the safety behavior of always having a safety person (e.g., friend or family member) with them if they are out in public or when they drive. They may always make sure that they have easy access to a phone, water, a restroom, or to their medications. They may use superstitious objects to help them feel more safe/secure in certain situations. They may drive a certain route or avoid highways or high-traffic areas in case they need to escape. In fact, an intense need to escape is often associated with panic attacks and individuals with Panic Disorder may avoid situations where escape might be difficult (e.g., movie theaters, new places where exits are unknown, driving on roads with frequent stop lights), also known as Agoraphobia. Individual's with Panic Disorder may not always avoid triggers or use safety behaviors, but they may instead use avoidance techniques such as distraction (e.g., listening to music) or "white knuckle" through the situation.
Panic Disorder is essentially a catastrophic misinterpretation of interocepive cues, or in other words, the individual is afraid of being afraid. They interpret their physical symptoms (normal parts of the flight-fight-freeze system) as meaning something catastrophic and horrible is about to happen (e.g., having a heart attack, fainting, going crazy, losing control, etc.).
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD is a disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are persistent unwanted thoughts, images, impulses, or doubts that are intrusive and distressing. People with OCD tend to interpret these thoughts, images, or impulses as being dangerous or shameful, and therefore do not want to have them. These obsessions tend to elicit feelings of anxiety, fear, disgust, uncertainty, and frustration. Obsessions are repetitive and attempts to suppress the thoughts often only make things worse. Compulsions are strong urges to engage in a behavior and/or mental act to try to reduce the frequency of, or distress associated with, the obsessions and/or to try to keep the feared outcome(s) from happening. Although compulsions are technically purposeful behaviors or mental acts, many individuals with OCD feel that they do not have control over the compulsions and might not even realize that they are doing them. Attempts to stop or reduce compulsions often result in intense anxiety and distress.
Unfortunately, OCD is an opportunistic disorder and it generates obsessional content that revolves around things/people that the individual cares about most. In the case of a women who has just given birth, what this can mean is that the obsessional content can hyperfocus on their child. This could mean, for example, that a new mom with OCD could have intrusive, distressing, and/or disturbing thoughts/images involving bad or scary things happening to their baby (harm obsessions). And sometimes these harm obsessions might even make the new mom worry that they might cause the bad or scary thing to happen to their baby. This becomes incredibly distressing to the new mom, who then starts to engage in primary avoidance or compulsions to ensure their babies safety and to reduce any doubt that anything bad will happen.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a disorder where an individual endures a traumatic event, usually involving a significant threat of death or serious injury. For some women, pregnancy and/or giving birth can become an incredibly traumatic experience. The loss of a child during prior to or during childbirth, significant medical and/or surgical complications, and/or postpartum medical emergencies can all result in trauma.
Individuals with PTSD re-experience the event in an intrusive and distressing manner (i.e., flashbacks, nightmares, upsetting memories, emotional or physical reactivity when confronted with reminders of the event). In order to cope, a person with PTSD may make attempts to avoid remembering trauma by refusing to think or feel in relation to the event or to be in situations that remind him/her/them of the event. Consequently, negative thoughts and/or feelings develop or become enhanced; such as blaming oneself for what happened, having negative thoughts about the self, others, and the world, feeling isolated, struggling to enjoy activities, and difficulty experiencing positive emotion. Lastly, a person’s arousal and reactivity changes, which can manifest as hypervigilance, irritability or aggression, risky or destructive behavior, trouble sleeping and/or concentrating, or heightened startle response.
Symptoms of depression include persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood; feelings of hopelessness or pessimism; feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness; loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities; decreased energy, fatigue, or being “slowed down”; difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions; difficulty sleeping, early-morning awakening, or oversleeping; appetite and/or weight changes; thoughts of death or dying; restlessness or irritability; aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and/or that do not ease even with treatment.
Anxiety Disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), is defined as frequent excessive anxiety and worry. In association with the worry, the individual may experience feeling restless or keyed up, being easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating or having your mind go blank, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. Individuals with GAD tend to be hyperfocused on possible catastrophes that can happen in the future ("what if?").
Panic Disorder is characterized by recurrent and sometimes unexpected and out-of-the-blue panic attacks. These panic attacks often feel as though they are coming out of the blue and can sometimes even occur while someone is asleep. Panic attacks are episodes of intense fear and anxiety, with symptoms such as pounding heart, heart palpitations, fast heart rate, sweating, trembling or shaking, shortness of breath, smothering sensations, feeling of choking, chest pain, nausea, stomach distress, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, feeling weak or faint, and feelings of unreality or of having an "out of body experience." Symptoms may include a feeling of dread or that something terrible is about to happen.
Because panic attacks are so distressing, individuals with Panic Disorder often worry about having them and avoid things that they believe to be triggers of their panic attacks. They also often engage in "safety behaviors" to try and prevent the attacks. For example, they may engage in the safety behavior of always having a safety person (e.g., friend or family member) with them if they are out in public or when they drive. They may always make sure that they have easy access to a phone, water, a restroom, or to their medications. They may use superstitious objects to help them feel more safe/secure in certain situations. They may drive a certain route or avoid highways or high-traffic areas in case they need to escape. In fact, an intense need to escape is often associated with panic attacks and individuals with Panic Disorder may avoid situations where escape might be difficult (e.g., movie theaters, new places where exits are unknown, driving on roads with frequent stop lights), also known as Agoraphobia. Individual's with Panic Disorder may not always avoid triggers or use safety behaviors, but they may instead use avoidance techniques such as distraction (e.g., listening to music) or "white knuckle" through the situation.
Panic Disorder is essentially a catastrophic misinterpretation of interocepive cues, or in other words, the individual is afraid of being afraid. They interpret their physical symptoms (normal parts of the flight-fight-freeze system) as meaning something catastrophic and horrible is about to happen (e.g., having a heart attack, fainting, going crazy, losing control, etc.).
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): OCD is a disorder characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are persistent unwanted thoughts, images, impulses, or doubts that are intrusive and distressing. People with OCD tend to interpret these thoughts, images, or impulses as being dangerous or shameful, and therefore do not want to have them. These obsessions tend to elicit feelings of anxiety, fear, disgust, uncertainty, and frustration. Obsessions are repetitive and attempts to suppress the thoughts often only make things worse. Compulsions are strong urges to engage in a behavior and/or mental act to try to reduce the frequency of, or distress associated with, the obsessions and/or to try to keep the feared outcome(s) from happening. Although compulsions are technically purposeful behaviors or mental acts, many individuals with OCD feel that they do not have control over the compulsions and might not even realize that they are doing them. Attempts to stop or reduce compulsions often result in intense anxiety and distress.
Unfortunately, OCD is an opportunistic disorder and it generates obsessional content that revolves around things/people that the individual cares about most. In the case of a women who has just given birth, what this can mean is that the obsessional content can hyperfocus on their child. This could mean, for example, that a new mom with OCD could have intrusive, distressing, and/or disturbing thoughts/images involving bad or scary things happening to their baby (harm obsessions). And sometimes these harm obsessions might even make the new mom worry that they might cause the bad or scary thing to happen to their baby. This becomes incredibly distressing to the new mom, who then starts to engage in primary avoidance or compulsions to ensure their babies safety and to reduce any doubt that anything bad will happen.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a disorder where an individual endures a traumatic event, usually involving a significant threat of death or serious injury. For some women, pregnancy and/or giving birth can become an incredibly traumatic experience. The loss of a child during prior to or during childbirth, significant medical and/or surgical complications, and/or postpartum medical emergencies can all result in trauma.
Individuals with PTSD re-experience the event in an intrusive and distressing manner (i.e., flashbacks, nightmares, upsetting memories, emotional or physical reactivity when confronted with reminders of the event). In order to cope, a person with PTSD may make attempts to avoid remembering trauma by refusing to think or feel in relation to the event or to be in situations that remind him/her/them of the event. Consequently, negative thoughts and/or feelings develop or become enhanced; such as blaming oneself for what happened, having negative thoughts about the self, others, and the world, feeling isolated, struggling to enjoy activities, and difficulty experiencing positive emotion. Lastly, a person’s arousal and reactivity changes, which can manifest as hypervigilance, irritability or aggression, risky or destructive behavior, trouble sleeping and/or concentrating, or heightened startle response.
How Do You Treat Perinatal Depression and Anxiety?
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive Behavioral Therapy includes many components and is based on the principle that thoughts/beliefs (Cognitions), emotions, physical symptoms, and behaviors are all intricately related. Helping someone feel better in CBT will typically involve changing unhelpful thoughts/beliefs (Cognitions), emotions, and behaviors via a variety of tools such as cognitive restructuring, emotion regulation and distress tolerance skills, mindfulness, behavioral activation, coping skill development, interpersonal effectiveness skill refinement, trauma processing, etc. CBT is considered a Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)/an Empirically Supported Treatment and is the gold-standard treatment approach across many client concerns. In the context of treatment for Perinatal Depression and Anxiety, an individualized CBT approach would be used based on a conceptualization specific to the individuals unique experiences and diagnosis.
Click here to learn more about Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Worry)
Click here to learn more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Click here to learn more about Panic Disorder
Click here to learn more about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Click here to learn more about Depression
Click here to learn more about Grief and Bereavement
Click here to learn more about Insomnia
Click here to learn more about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Click here to learn more about Panic Disorder
Click here to learn more about Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Click here to learn more about Depression
Click here to learn more about Grief and Bereavement
Click here to learn more about Insomnia
OakHeart Maternal Mental Health Counselors, Psychologists, and Social Workers
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Resources

postpartum_support_international_fact_sheet.pdf | |
File Size: | 241 kb |
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