Maternal mental health disorder is not madness – WHO

Dr. Promise Sefogah with the World Health Organisation (WHO-Ghana) has said that the hormonal imbalances that take place in pregnant women trigger a change in behaviour, medically known as Maternal Mental Health (MMH) disorder.

He added that many see the disorder to be madness, but it is not.

"Those hormones last until after delivering, and the sudden change in the levels of the hormones is what triggered the change in the behaviour of some women

"So it is not the matter of the woman has delivered and she is gone mad. No, MMH disorders are not madness. They are problems resulting from the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy and then transition to the period of delivery

"All we need to do is to understand. So, let's all join in creating the public awareness that these things do happen," said Dr Sefogah, the lead consultant for Maternal Mental Health (MMH) Situation Analysis for WHO Ghana.

In an interview with journalists in Bolgatanga after he presented findings and recommendations at a dissemination meeting on MMH Situation Analysis for the Northern Zone, Dr. Sefogah said physiological medical reasons accounted for those happenings and called for public awareness to avoid stigmatisation.

The programme was organised by the Ghana Health Service with funding from the UK – Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (UK-FCDO).

"Everybody has a role to play, the church, the mosques, traditional leaders, the media, so that we all create the awareness that will prevent these things from having the major tone they have", he added.

He said some people associated spiritual causes with the changes and took women with such experiences to traditional healers and faith-based places, insisting that "we need to bring them to the hospital, where they would be assessed."

He called on healthcare professionals to improve on counseling of patients and their families to enhance their understanding of the changes that occurred during pregnancy.

Research indicated that 20 percent of deaths of women after delivery were due to suicide, and that could be a result of severe depression.

Dr. Martin Boamah, the Technical Officer for Maternal and Child Health WHO-Ghana, said there was no policy on MMH in Ghana, which is worrying.

He called on critical stakeholders to implement policies that would address MMH issues.

Over the years, policymakers have concentrated on maternal deaths due to the neglect of MMH issues.

"We should not neglect MMH because some women who suffer from these issues may not die, but then, it affects their productivity, quality of life, and has even direct effect on their children", he said.

Dr. Boamah said there was evidence to show that women who suffered from maternal mental health issues had stunted growth, and those with suicidal tendencies either killed themselves or their babies.

"We believe that it is the right time, and indeed, globally, the direction is towards addressing mental health issues, and of course, MMH should not be left behind. So this is what WHO, with the support of the FCDO, wants to address," he said.