Post natal depression - did you suffer from it or not? Please take our one question, instant poll.

[carriemumsnet]

PND has always been a big topic on Mumsnet but the stats on exactly how many women experience post natal depression haven't been updated for quite a while.

Please take our one question, instant poll here

Thanks

MNHQ

Do you mean confirmed medically diagnosed PND?

what about AND as well?

current thinking is that most PND actually starts in pregnancy

What stats, Carrie?

Yes, I was going to ask that Hunker.

Good point Lackadaisycal, I had horrendous AND which segued into PND. Sobbed for about 2 days after the birth then went into odd hyper mode for a bit. Wish there was more awareness of AND tbh, a simple question from a Midwife may have prompteed me to discuss how I was feeling.

I was treated for depression when pregnant with DD and after she was born, but don't think it was actually AND or PND. Just ordinary D for me I think.

Yes diagnosed PND, The most quoted stats say that between 15-17% of women suffer from PND.

AND is also an interesting topic and one we may go back to - but wanted to do a quick poll just to get a rough idea of how many Mumsnetters have been affected by PND at this stage.

Lots more women than that have PND, but it's not diagnosed because (unfortunately) there's a stigma to it. So this poll is likely to find far higher than 15-17%

I was undiagnosed due to crappy health professionals who were notinterested in me at all.

So what should I answer?

I suppose by saying "diagnosed" we're trying to make the distinction between regular and common baby blues and PND, but if folks feel they have/had PND we're guessing they'd know it was PND, even if they never got a formal diagnosis, so hopefully the poll will prove to be an accurate one.

So suppose we're saying diagnosed at the time and/or diagnosed in retrospect (even if that diagnosis was self- diagnosis), if that makes sense.

Right. The way I see it baby blues happens pretty early on and lasts about a week or so. PND can occur any time in the first 12 months and can be pretty long lasting.

Many women hide it and never seek help too (as is the case with many mental illnesses)

still got pnd, 3 years on

keep trying to reduce meds, every time i think i am getting there i fall into another black hole
Tis horrible

are MNers a good representative section of the population though?

I often think on here that there seems to be an inordinately high number of women with mental health problems, and I know from my own pov that MN helps me with mine; it's like a kind of therapy in that on the days when I know I'm struggling with real life, I can come on here and have a laugh and feel better about my lot.

just a thought and maybe a topic for another debate another time?

Not sure about that tbh, when I was in the depth of PND I used a site called Verity's PNI or something similar. I disagree that people who use Mn are more likely to suffer PND or any mental illness.

I don't think there is a disproportionate number of people with mental illness on Mn, just that as in any anonymous forum they are more likely to share.

Nightmare gigglewitch I never really got going with any AD, tried loads mind, but always seemed to stop them just as they were working ifyswim. I am med free atm but think I may need to have one and blummin stick to it (not helped by my crappy doctor).

I have chopped and changed more than a choppy changy thing

isn't this completely pointless (not to say potentially misleading) unless you ask us all at the moment we sign up?

I have voted but I'm not sure the survey has any real value. A lot of people wont touch a thread unless the title attracts them. Quite a few people with no interest in PND (often those who havent had it) wont even open the thread and therfore your results will probably be skewed toward those who have had it.

Another one wanting AND recognition - had it with both pregnancies, no PND. It is one of the things that terrifies me about the idea of having a third.

have also voted

PND is such a large spectrum, and some people's idea of what depression is is not teh same as reality IFYSWIM.

also, some women find a short course of meds do the trick , others need years of intensive counselling, meds and other treatments.

it is not just as simple as yes or no , sadly.

pnd ended up turning into post traumatic stress with severe depression..that was after birth of ds and 5yrs on still suffering although did have major things going on so dont know if that makes a difference as it wasnt just childbirth iyswim. However was diagnosed as PND for first 2 yrs

Like daisy, I've come to think at least some cases of PND start during pregnancy.

Please remember, all it takes is one health professional blowing a woman off to put her off getting ANY help at all. Or one health professional suggesting to her to 'go and get help' and not ringing her GP for her herself.

MANY women with PND are reluctant to 'get help' in the first place, and being told to go and seek it out will mean many who just struggle along.

I've been blown off myself and it makes you think, 'What's the point? No one will help. I can't face all this again.'

I totslly agree expat. At my dd's routine 6 week check up I tried to tell the nurse I was feeling very low. She took one look at me caring for the baby and said 'look at you, you're a natural' and rushed me out the door. Yes, I was able to look after my dd but my low mood got worse and worse and spiraled into anxiety and PND. It was only a year later I got help because my sisters made me an appointment with a counsellor. I feel that if that nurse had taken me seriously I could have enjoyed the first year of my dd's life.

ikwym suiledonn. With DS I was very particular; he was immaculate and as a sicky baby would be changed every time he threw up. I always made the effort and never left the house looking anything other than perfectly groomed and was always greeted with comments about how well I was doing, especially as a single parent.

But, my house was a disgrace; the kitchen was full of dirty dishes, the fridge full of rotting food, washing piled up and domestic sluttiness all round. People just didn't realise that there was a problem. When I was finally diagnosed when DD was six months old, my HV, who had seen a lot of what was going on at home and had been very unhelpful regarding my failed attempts at BFing, said "well I could see that coming" . And that was the extent of her support.

And it's easy to lie about how you're feeling, especially answering the questions on the Edinburgh Test.