Mental health professionals conservatively estimate that up to two mothers in 10 suffer from severe postpartum mood disorders.
ADA, Okla. – Three years ago, Lorie Carmichael of Ada experienced the happiest day of her life. She gave birth to a healthy, beautiful little girl named Olivia. With her husband, Eric, she expected to spend the first few weeks with Olivia as a family before returning to work.
She could have never guessed that the weeks following Olivia’s arrival would be the most trying time of her life. According to the National Coalition for Maternal Mental Health, Carmichael is one of the nearly 600,000 women diagnosed with maternal mental health issues, often called postpartum mood disorders, each year.
“I don’t mind sharing my story. People need to know the issue, what postpartum depression and anxiety actually are,” Carmichael said. “When I told friends and family I was suffering from postpartum depression, people thought I wanted to hurt my baby or herself. That was not the case for me. It was actually the opposite. I had so much anxiety that I was going to hurt Olivia that it became emotionally overwhelming.”
Carmichael and her husband thought she was having the normal anxieties of becoming a mother for the first time. However, the couple soon realized the problem was much deeper. While it is normal for new mothers to feel the “baby blues” after childbirth, mental health professionals conservatively estimate that up to two mothers in 10 suffer from more severe postpartum mood disorders.
“I remember the day I had my worst panic attack. It was two weeks to the day after Olivia was born, the day my husband went back to work after his leave. He walked out the door to go to work, and panic set in,” Carmichael said. “I kept watching the clock, counting down the time until he got home.”
Common forms of maternal mental health issues include crippling anxiety, depression and in rare cases, psychosis. Carmichael’s postpartum issues manifested themselves as anxiety disorders.
“I was always checking on her when she was taking a nap or asleep. I was afraid I might find her not breathing. When she woke up crying and I could not console her that just added to the anxiety and the panic,” Carmichael said. “It got to the point where I had to be around people. I would get her up and dressed, and we would go to a place like Walmart, so I wouldn’t have to be alone with Olivia.”
Based on the information provided to her by her doctors, Carmichael believes everyone knows a mother who has suffered from maternal mental health disorders.
“I didn’t know why I was feeling the way I was. I had no way of easing the shakiness that was inside. It got to the point where I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping,” she said. “I knew something wasn’t right. I wanted to feel normal again. With the support of my husband and family, I sought help from my doctor. ”
According to Carmichael, her diagnosis was one of the most important moments of her life. Although she continues to have anxious feelings concerning Olivia’s wellbeing, she now understands why and where her anxious feelings are coming from. Like others who have been diagnosed before her, she is able to take proactive steps in fighting her anxieties.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, I had an anxiety attack. My doctor told me it probably stemmed from having postpartum,” she said. “He also said women who may have had postpartum often experience ‘empty nest syndrome’ when their kids move out. Now I am aware that this could happen.”
Untreated maternal mental health issues can have lasting effects on the family. The onset of postpartum depression can be the prelude to long-term depression for mothers. Marriages can suffer as couples struggle to communicate. Additionally, children whose mothers were diagnosed with maternal mental health issues are more likely to suffer from behavioral and emotional problems and a lack of other social skills.
Carmichael is thankful for the postnatal care she received. The ability to speak with her doctor about her situation led to early diagnosis of her postpartum anxiety. Once identified, her doctor was able to put Carmichael on a treatment plan, with her family and friends involved.
“Talking with my husband and my family was good,” she said. “I talked a lot with my grandmother. She never heard of anything like this. I was educating her at the same time she was talking to me.”
According to Carmichael, it was a hard decision to be open within her community about her illness. She worried what others would think about her seeking professional help and being open about it. Fortunately, she had the strength to do what was best for her, and the courage to share with others.
“It is important that you let those close to you know what is going on,” she said. “Even your staff and supervisors. You don’t have to go into detail, but let them know. I was surprised to find that my support team grew. You will be surprised how much people want to help.”