Women’s Mental Health Impacts Across Generations Warns A Psychiatrist

Women’s physical and emotional well-being forms the cornerstone of healthy communities. Despite significant advances in medical science, a troubling global trend is emerging that threatens this foundation and undermines the professional care many women rely on.

Why women’s health matters to all of us

Women’s health is everybody’s health, and when women and girls are well-supported, mental wellbeing improves across families and society. When a mother, partner, or daughter is struggling, it has a ripple effect on the whole family’s happiness and stability.

Women experience additional mental health burdens at every stage of life that men cannot fully empathize with, and traditionally, girls and women have had to bear significant struggles in silence. 

Today, we have empirical evidence of the abrupt hormonal and physical changes that occur when girls start menstruating, during pregnancy, through the childbearing years, to perimenopause, menopause, and into our senior years. These transitional phases may lead to times of heightened mental health risk that need to be managed for affected women.

Dangers of misinformation in women’s healthcare

A global tidal wave of unqualified and biased misinformation is undermining evidence-based treatment options available to women. This is no longer restricted to the fringe views of influencers on social media, as recently demonstrated in the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel on the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. 

With South African women already at a higher risk than our global counterparts for perinatal depression, it is especially concerning that the views of people with no medical background are going viral. Rising populist sentiments are displacing informed medical perspectives in the United States and are receiving attention from unsuspecting women here at home, too.

As the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) pointed out in response to the FDA panel’s views on the use of SSRIs during pregnancy, it is dangerous to minimize the importance of mental health for women in pregnancy and postpartum. Indeed, at any stage of life. 

The crucial role of medical expertise

Every woman has the right to make an informed decision about whether medication is right for her, and the risks and benefits of psychiatric medicines must always be discussed with the prescribing clinician. It is disconcerting, however, when people take the advice of social media influencers and conspiracy theorists over established medical science when their lives and the well-being of their children may be at stake. 

As just one example, perinatal depression can have devastating consequences for both mother and baby, including emotional suffering, difficulty bonding with her baby, and, at its worst, thoughts or acts of self-harm and suicide.

In terms of the baby’s health, depression during pregnancy is associated with risks of high blood pressure, preterm delivery, and babies not growing and developing as well as they should. 

Untreated postnatal depression is one of the biggest risk factors for mental illness in the affected mother’s children, particularly as they become young adults, and can have marked effects on the development of the child. 

Support is within reach – early intervention saves lives

Fortunately, there are resources available, starting at the primary healthcare level, to support women who are experiencing mental health difficulties. We need to prioritize the early identification and treatment for girls and women suffering from conditions like depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, among others. Early intervention improves their outcomes, not only for the rest of their lives but also for future generations.

As healthcare professionals, we are here because we care – and there is now a greater understanding that wellbeing is holistic, with growing recognition of the interconnection between physical health and mental health across disciplines. 

We doctors recognize the inseparable nature of physical and mental health. Women have a responsibility — and a right — to prioritize their mental wellbeing throughout life. If you are struggling, remember, professional help is available. Talk openly with your doctors, including GPs, gynecologists, and pediatricians. There are also professional mental health resources, such as the services provided by Netcare Akeso clinics, on hand to help you.

Takeaway

Women’s mental health echoes across generations. For the sake of our nation’s future, we cannot allow the ripples of hope for healing to be silenced by misinformation that brands treatment as poison. 

Who is the author?

Dr. Bavi Vythilingum obtained her MMed degree cum laude from the University of Stellenbosch and is a previous winner of the Novartis medal in psychiatry.

For over 20 years, she has worked in both research and clinical settings, establishing and running specialist women’s mental health services. She has served on the Boards of Postnatal Depression South Africa, the Women’s Mental Health Special Interest Group of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, and is on the editorial board of Archives of Women’s Mental Health. She also serves on the Exco of the Interventional Psychiatry Special Interest Group of SASOP. Furthermore, she practices at Netcare Akeso Kenilworth.

In the course of her work with people with severe mental illness, she has become increasingly interested in interventional techniques and psychiatry. She has established an infusion clinic, has postgraduate training in Electro Convulsive Therapy (ECT), and serves on the Exco of the Interventional Psychiatry Sub Group of the South African Society of Psychiatrists.