Parents with a child born in the past year are more likely to start antidepressant treatments than the general population, the Socialist Mutual Health Fund (Solidaris) warns in an analysis released on Tuesday.
After studying postnatal depression and antidepressant use among its members, the fund found those with babies were more likely to take these medicines.
Specifically, 4.7% of mothers aged 15-49 who had a child in the previous year started antidepressant therapy, whereas the consumption rate for all women of the same age group was 2.9%.
Fathers are also affected
Fathers are also affected, albeit less severely, with 2.7% of those aged 15-59 turning to antidepressants in the year after birth, compared to 2.1% of all men in the same age category.
Socioeconomic status and demographic factors exacerbate the risk of postnatal depression. Single mothers and teen parents are at greater risk, often due to less network support. Parents of children born through caesarean section, or whose infants suffered health problems in their first year are also more vulnerable.
Similarly, traumatic experiences, such as domestic violence, lead to more instances of postnatal depression.
Anti-depressant use declines during pregnancy
Risk factors do not all weigh equally. For women, rising medical costs for their child are a substantial burden. Men with increased benefits – thereby having less financial resources – run a greater risk of postnatal depression.
The socialist mutual’s study also investigated antidepressant use during pregnancy. It found that usage of these medicines decreased during the nine-month period for both men and women.
Solidaris explains that this decline in women is largely due to the potential harmful effects of antidepressants on foetal development. For men, the drop suggests other factors are at play.
Better preparation needed for prospective parents
The analysis also uncovered that 70% of new parents who took antidepressants in the three years before conception forego treatment one year after childbirth. Solidaris believes this observation warrants further investigation.
In response to these findings, Solidaris advocates better preparation of prospective parents. “We need to make them aware that everything does not have to be perfect,” the socialist mutual stresses. "Psychological care should be more widely provided and better funded as part of perinatal care for vulnerable individuals."
It also recommends that more attention should be paid to future fathers, alongside extending parental leave, in addition to maternity leave.
