Prevalence and risk factors of postpartum psychiatric illness in Sub-Himalaya hilly region: A community-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Perinatal mental health disorders affect maternal and child health significantly. It can manifest as postpartum blues, postnatal depression or a more severe form as postpartum psychosis. Mostly, postpartum mental health disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated and there is paucity of data on the true prevalence of these disorders in the community.

Methods: The present study has been conducted as a community-based cross-sectional study on postpartum and post-abortion women in the sub-Himalayan hilly area of India. The main objective of the study was to know the prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders and it's risk factors in the community through structured questionnaires and interviews during the postpartum period. Edinburgh postnatal depression scale (EPDS) and Bebbington and Nayani questionnaire were used to screen for depression and postpartum psychosis, respectively.

Results: A total of 526 eligible participants were screened, and the overall prevalence of perinatal mental health disorders in our study was 31% (163/525), with 16% (85/525) having postpartum blues and 15% (78/525) having postpartum depression. Among the obstetric factors, having a preterm delivery was found to be associated with increased chances of postpartum depression. (14% vs 8%, P = 0.250). None of the sociodemographic factors studied showed a significant association with postpartum depression.

Conclusion: The study elaborates on the prevalence of perinatal mental illness in our community and various risk factors affecting the chances of women having these problems. Delivery of a preterm baby was found to be associated with increased chances of postpartum depression.Key message: Perinatal mental health is an important aspect of maternal and child health. Most perinatal mental problems remain undiagnosed and untreated, thus posing a serious hazard to maternal and neonatal health.