Perinatal depression treatment and support in London

Like with many mental health conditions, there is no single cause for antenatal or postnatal depression. There are lots of different biological, psychological and social factors which may contribute to depression in the perinatal period. Some of the most common factors include:

• Previous mental health issues, including depression
• Experiencing depression or anxiety during your pregnancy
• Stressful life events, such as a relationship ending, losing your job, or a bereavement
• Lack of support from friends or family
• Low self-esteem
• Physical health problems, such as an underactive thyroid and anaemia
• Also, women who stop taking antidepressant medication when they’re pregnant may have higher rates of depression relapse in pregnancy and after birth. These risks are even higher for women with more severe depression.

Depression in pregnancy, or after birth is similar in many ways to depression at other times. Anxious and negative thoughts, which are common in depression, are often focused on the pregnancy or baby. Women are often self-critical about their ability to be a good parent, or worry how others will judge them.

Unfortunately, women, their families, and sometimes even health professionals, don’t recognise when an individual has antenatal or postnatal depression and wait much longer than needed before having treatment. There are many reasons for this. There is some overlap between normal pregnancy symptoms and depression, but people often wrongly assume their symptoms are a normal part of pregnancy or adjustment to their new baby.

Some people worry unnecessarily that professionals may think that they can’t care for their baby. It’s also common to feel guilty about not feeling happy and excited. Anyone can be affected by mental health issues in the perinatal period, so you should not be afraid to ask for help if you think you might be unwell.

It is important to recognise that some of the typical symptoms of antenatal and postnatal depression overlap with common pregnancy related symptoms. Symptoms of antenatal and postnatal depression include having some or all of the following for at least two weeks:

• Low mood, irritability and tearfulness
• Fatigue and low energy – this is common in late pregnancy and when you have a baby but can be worse when you have antenatal or postnatal depression
• Poor sleep – it’s common to have poor sleep in pregnancy and with a new baby, but in postnatal depression you may not be able to sleep even when your baby is asleep
• Poor appetite – your appetite may be affected by morning sickness or heartburn in pregnancy but should usually improve as these symptoms resolve
• Poor concentration
• Loss of interest and enjoyment – you may not enjoy things that you usually enjoy and you may not enjoy spending time with your new baby
• Loss of interest in sex – this is common in pregnancy and after birth and is not necessarily due to depression. Sex may be painful after birth or you may be too tired to have sex
• Anxious thoughts – it’s common to worry about many things in pregnancy and when you have a new baby. However, in antenatal or postnatal depression, the anxious thoughts can be more frequent and severe. Common worries focus on whether you may have done something to adversely affect your pregnancy, your baby’s health or whether something or someone will harm your baby. You may be afraid to be on your own with your baby. This may be associated with physical symptoms of anxiety including a racing pulse, breathlessness, sweating and muscle tension
• Negative thoughts – it’s common in antenatal and postnatal depression to think that you are not a good mother or that you baby won’t love you. You may also doubt your ability to cope with having a baby
• Guilty thoughts – you may feel guilty for feeling depressed and think this is your fault, even though it isn’t
• Avoiding people – you may not want to see, or speak to, family or friends. You may not want to go to antenatal or postnatal groups
• Hopelessness – it may seem that things will never get better or that life is not worth living
• Suicidal thoughts and self-harm – you may think about ways to harm yourself. These thoughts are common in depression and not everyone acts on them. It’s important to seek help if you have an urge to harm yourself
• Self-neglect – if you have severe depression this may have a significant impact on your ability to look after yourself. You may not eat well, you may not take care of your appearance or personal hygiene and you may find it hard to get out of bed and manage what are usually easy daily activities

The extent to which depressive symptoms can impact on your ability to care for your baby varies. Many parents continue to care for their children well despite being unwell. However, if you have severe depression you may need a lot of help and support to care for your baby and other children until you get better.

Perinatal depression can have a negative impact on all areas of your life. However, this condition is treatable. At Priory, we can provide you with personalised perinatal depression therapy, treatment and counselling.

Our personalised approach means your individual condition and circumstances are addressed. This helps us to create a tailored treatment programme to improve your symptoms, develop coping strategies to regain your confidence and feel more positive, and begin to embrace your new role as a parent.

Counselling for postnatal depression

Counselling for perinatal depression can take place either as an outpatient, inpatient, or as part of our day care programme. You will be able to discuss which option is best for you with one of our specialists.

Talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can help you to alter negative thinking patterns which are typical in antenatal and postnatal depression. During pregnancy or after birth, depression can mean that you lack confidence or judge yourself negatively as a parent.

Antidepressant medication

Medication can be used on its own or alongside CBT to treat antenatal and postnatal depression. If you have more severe perinatal depression, or if your depression has not improved with a talking therapy, you may need antidepressant medication to help complement this.

There are many different types of antidepressant medication. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are most commonly used to treat depression in pregnancy and after birth to regulate mood and emotions.

Outpatient treatment

During outpatient treatment for perinatal depression, you will come to one of our hospitals or wellbeing centres for a set number of hourly sessions with a consultant or therapist. These usually happen on a weekly basis.

This type of treatment is useful if you don’t need more intensive treatment for your antenatal or postnatal depression, and it also means you can attend flexible appointments at a time and a place that’s convenient for you. You can start outpatient therapy straightaway or this can be used as a step-down from more intensive treatment, if needed.

Inpatient treatment

During inpatient treatment, you’ll stay at one of our hospitals on a residential basis and receive intensive treatment for your antenatal or postnatal depression.

This type of treatment is helpful when it comes to treating more severe perinatal depression. This is because it gives you the chance to spend some time away from your day-to-day life in order to remove any negative influences that may be making your depression worse. It’s also very structured and provides round-the-clock care, helping you to get well.

The thought of coming into hospital can be daunting at first. However, this type of treatment can have a positive impact on your quality of life and help you take steps towards recovery. It means you have the time, care and attention you need to fully address your perinatal and embrace a healthy future.

Day care

You can also receive perinatal depression treatment as part of our day care programme. During day care, you will come to one of our Priory sites for a certain number of days each week, where you will take part in therapy.

However, unlike inpatient treatment, you won’t stay at the hospital overnight but will go home following a day of treatment. Day care can be used as a step-down from inpatient treatment or a step-up from outpatient treatment, if needed.

Our sites across the UK provide specialist treatment for a range of mental health conditions. Our regional locations include:

• Priory Hospital Roehampton
• Wimbledon Park Clinic
• Priory Hospital North London
• Priory Hospital Woking
• Priory Hospital Hayes Grove
• Priory Hospital Chelmsford
• Priory Wellbeing Centre Harley Street