Many people suffer in silence with mental health issues because of the stigma attached to it, including pregnant women and new moms.
When the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle opened up about depression, postpartum depression and suicide during her interview with Oprah, she helped decrease stigma related to mental illness.
Her timing may just save many people who have been suffering in silence during a year when we are having a pandemic of mental illness.
The Duchess of Sussex detailed the severe impact that the media and the British royal family had on her mental wellbeing, particularly while she was pregnant with her first child, Archie.
In a 2019 interview she gave to ITV journalist Tom Bradby shortly after she had given birth, Bradby simply asked how Markle was doing, to which a teary-eyed and grateful Meghan replied: “Not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes. Any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable, and so that was made really challenging. And then when you have a newborn, you know. And especially as a woman, it’s a lot.”
This clip went viral, which prompted the hashtag #WeLoveYouMeghan to trend, resonating with mothers, many of whom used it to kickstart a discussion about postpartum depression (PPD), though to be clear, Meghan Markle did not specify in the interview whether she had been diagnosed with the condition.
Reports and social media have been finding similarity between Diana, Princess of Wales and Meghan. There is also another significant similarity, one that Meghan cemented in her tell-all interview with Oprah on Sunday – both Diana and Meghan chose to use their public platforms to serve as advocates for maternal mental health.
Many noted that Meghan’s remarks were to similar to those made by Princess Diana during her 1995 BBC Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. “I was unwell with postnatal depression, which no one ever discusses, postnatal depression, you have to read about it afterwards, and that in itself was a bit of a difficult time.”
Diana, who also spoke publicly about her struggles with suicidal ideation and self-harm during the interview, said. “You’d wake up in the morning feeling you didn’t want to get out of bed, you felt misunderstood, and just very, very low in yourself.”
This is also a real issue back home, and many South African women will be able to relate with what Markle went through. According to the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) a number of factors can increase the risk of postpartum depression, including a history of depression during pregnancy, the age at the time of pregnancy – the younger you are, the higher the risk, ambivalence about the pregnancy, and children – the more you have, the more likely you are to be depressed in a subsequent pregnancy.
Dr Bavi Vythilingum, a psychiatrist at Akeso Clinic Kenilworth says, “signs include mood swings, tearfulness, anxiety and difficulty sleeping.”
“In more severe cases, these include a persistent feeling of sadness and a depressed mood lasting for two weeks or more, and may also include lack of interest, guilt and hopelessness,” Vythilingum said.
“Postpartum depression isn't a weakness, it's simply a complication of giving birth. It’s very common in South Africa, with between 30% to 40% of mothers experiencing this form of mental illness. Although most of them are too afraid to talk about it, or even admit to it, this illness affects millions of women every year.”
Research shows that in South Africa up to 40% of women who give birth develop this illness. Experts say this condition typically begins within the first two to three days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks. But some new mothers experience a more severe, long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression.
Experts say recovery for this illness usually involves one or more of four elements: stepped-up self-care; behavioural therapy; social support, such as helplines; and, if necessary, antidepressants, a decision that requires a detailed conversation with one’s medical provider—especially during breastfeeding.