Every year, about 6 million of the country's 20 million new mothers suffer from postnatal depression, yet only a small percentage of them get professional help, a leading expert in gynecology and obstetrics said Thursday.

 

In other words, one in three new mothers suffer from depression, Zhao Yufang, who is a member of the Chinese Medical Association, told China Daily at a seminar.

 

Zhao said that if the numbers continue to grow - amid the increasingly brisk pace of life in the city - support networks will be unable to cope and the careers of new mothers, at least in the first few months following childbirth, will suffer.

 

Women suffering from postnatal depression can feel irritable, sad and overwhelmed, Zhao said.

 

Research has shown that, in most cases, depression develops from initial postpartum, more commonly known as the "baby blues", which is experienced by up to 85 percent of women after childbirth.

 

Mothers with the baby blues display symptoms including melancholy, mood swings and impulsiveness, Zhao said.

 

"For that, no specific treatment is required," she said.

 

She suggested women unload their emotional burden on their spouses and close friends, as a form of support.

 

However, Zhao warned that if symptoms persist for more than two weeks, women should seek medical help to rule out more serious emotional problems, like postnatal depression.

 

Unfortunately, women who encounter mental stress while trying to adjust to motherhood simply wait for it to go away on its own, Zhao said.

 

But if the depression is left unattended, some women can go insane, she said.

 

Deteriorating postnatal depression ranks second among China's top mental problems, Professor Li Shunli, who studies mental disorders at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, said.

 

"Women should turn to mental health professionals when in need," Zhao said.

 

She also called for a more human-oriented service approach and more parenting classes in maternity hospitals, which prepare mothers-to-be for possible emotional crises after giving birth.

 

(China Daily January 4, 2008)