A brief overview

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN INDIA

May 18, 2017

   According to the World Health Organization, one in every four people worldwide will endure symptoms of a mental illness at some point in their lives (World Health Organization, 2001). This amounts to a hefty number of 450 million people currently suffering from a mental disorder (World Health Organization, 2001). 

   Mental illness is quiet global crisis. Due to the social stigma, rejection/discrimination, people tend to not seek treatment. 

   In India, the stigma is especially difficult to evade. This is troubling because of recent

research conducted by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation found Depressive 

Disorders ranked #4 and Anxiety Disorders ranked #9 in the top ten leading causes for disability in India (Institute of Mental Health and Evaluation, 2015). There is a lack of literature needed to truly understand India's current mental health status due to current stigma affecting treatment seeking and under diagnosis. Yet, one study found Indian women to be average 2-3 times more at risk to suffer from a Common Mental Disorder especially depression than Indian males (Malhotra & Shah, 2015). Perinatal and Postnatal are periods in a woman's life that are considered especially high risk for the development of a psychiatric disorder (Shivalli & Gururaj, 2015). In the United States, Postpartum Depression rates are as high as 1 in every 10 women (CDC, 2017).  Postpartum depression is a condition specific to women that often goes untreated/undiagnosed in rural India. While I reviewed current literature on prevalence of postpartum depression in India, I only came across one study that analyzed the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores of 102 postnatal women (Shivalli & Gururaj, 2015). Although findings where intriguing, I found it concerning that there was only one study I could find on this condition. 

   This summer, I plan on comparing the current mental health of 100 women, 50 pregnant and 50 postnatal. I will be providing them with two measures, the Beck Depression Inventory-II and the Ryff Scales of Positive Psychological Well Being. Both scales have been used sparingly in rural India.

I will have to translate my measures to language spoken in surrounding villages called Kannada. Clinic workers will administer these questionnaire in this language. This concerns me, because I do not speak the language myself, so I will not be sure that the translations will be correct. 

​

   My overall goal with this project is to increase awareness in the surrounding Mysore community about post-partum depression, help women suffering from this condition receive services, help fortify current literature, and guide new research on this condition in rural India. 

​

   I am incredibly excited about this opportunity! Although I am still preparing myself for the culture shock, I can't wait to share this experience with you!

Works Cited:

Depression Among Women- Center for Disease Control. (2017, February 15). Retrieved May 10, 2017, from https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/depression/

Mental disorders affect one in four people. (2001, October 04). Retrieved May 10, 2017, from http://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/

Shivalli, S., & Gururaj, N. (2015). Postnatal Depression among Rural Women in South India: Do Socio-Demographic, Obstetric and Pregnancy Outcome Have a Role to Play? Plos One, 10(4). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0122079