Postnatal Depression among Rural Women in South India: Do Socio-Demographic, Obstetric and Pregnancy Outcome Have a Role to Play? Introduction Pregnancy and postpartum are considered as high risk periods for the emergence of psychiatric disorders. Postnatal depression (PND) is one of the most common psychopathology in these phases. PND describes non-psychotic depressive episodes, with loss of interest, insomnia, and loss of energy experienced by mothers within the period of 4 to 6 weeks after delivery [1].
A wide range of PND prevalence (10–42%) has been reported across the globe [2–11]. It is considered a serious public health issue because of its devastating effects on mothers, families, and infants or children [12]. Accurate estimates of PND prevalence are difficult to obtain as cultural norms may affect women’s reporting of their symptoms and methods used to determine prevalence…
