Postnatal depression impacts thousands of families each year, but receiving treatment is easier said than done

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11 hours ago

It took Ange Green months to feel connected to her baby girl.
She couldn't understand why she fiercely loved her nephews, but didn't yet feel the same way about her own daughter.
The moment the 31-year-old says she first felt love for baby Annabeth was captured by her husband in a heartwarming video where the first-time mum burst into tears as the pair danced to Taylor Swift's All Too Well.
"Annabeth was at the Eras tour in the front row while I was pregnant, so you could say she was a born Swiftie," Ms Green said.
The bright moment came after months of severe darkness.
"As a society, we sell women an idealistic dream of motherhood and talk about how it will be the greatest thing we can do as a woman," Ms Green said.
"We're led to believe those first hours, days and weeks may be hard, but they'll be rewarding and your heart will explode with love for this human you've never met."
Each year in Australia, up to 100,000 families will be affected by postnatal depression — sadness, numbness or hopelessness — or anxiety after birth.
However, only a fraction receive treatment, and both experts and parents say more needs to be done to close the gap.
There is also an economic toll, with perinatal mental health costing Australia around $877 million annually due to medical expenses, productivity loss and wellbeing impacts.
"It wasn't normal to not know whether you loved your daughter or not, to look at your husband holding her and think they'd be better off without you, to not want to do simple things like bathing her.
"For me, my reality postpartum is a constant juggle of thoughts and feelings characterised by feeling guilty that I'm not the best mum she could have."
Women are most at risk of the onset or return of mental health issues in early motherhood, according to Julie Borninkhof, CEO of Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA).
"The stats show us there are a significant number of people experiencing distress, from struggling to adjust to parenting through to postnatal psychosis," she said.
In 2024, a coroner found a Logan mother who took her own life could still be alive if she had access to a specialist mother and baby unit, with a critical shortfall of services contributing to her death.
"Healthcare and services need to be enhanced, we need more education for people to be able to recognise the signs, more capacity to identify conditions early and we need more funding."
A spokesperson for the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing said the federal government was spending close to $43 million over eight years to build 20 perinatal mental health centres.
"The Australian government funds a range of national perinatal mental health related services for expectant and new parents experiencing, or at risk of, perinatal mental illness," they said.
Research shows digital tools like apps and online resources can reduce stigma and serve as a lifeline for those like Ms Green, who require fast and accessible support.
More than 275,000 people have visited the Commonwealth-funded MumSpace website since its launch in 2017 — a number that continues to grow.
PANDA said demand for its digital and remote support services had also tripled in the last five years.
"Digital supports — web, app and phone-based — are fundamental in providing that safety net for people," Ms Borninkhof said.
Ms Green said it was hard asking for help, but encouraged new parents not to be afraid to seek support.
"For me, the reality of postnatal depression can be avoiding the most basic of daily tasks like washing and brushing my hair because it feels overwhelming," she said.
"My reality is also the clouds beginning to clear after asking for help from medical professionals and those closest to me.
"By talking to others I've been able to understand I am not alone. It's so hard to see there is another side to this, but it's there."
Brisbane psychologist Narelle Dickinson said feeling tired or overwhelmed now and then was normal, but feeling that way most of the time was not.
"It's a growing problem, there's more stress on families than there ever has been before, particularly financial stress," she said.
"The simplest thing people can do to help is to ask someone, 'Are you ok?'
"Having that conversation about mental health is important and suggesting they see their GP is always the best place to start.
"Practical support is also really important — turning up with dinner, asking to help with cleaning or putting the washing on can make a huge difference."
Ms Dickinson said the transition from working life to parenthood could contribute to perinatal mental health struggles, especially after the physical, mental and emotional stress of birth.
"If you're used to feeling productive and being work focused, it can be a really tough transition," she said.
"We don't talk about birth trauma enough because, like perinatal depression or anxiety, it's more common than you think.
"There's a perception that unless the birth was so bad you or your baby nearly died, we don't see that as being a terrible experience, but even a birth that's gone smoothly can be traumatic."
Thanks to the help she received from PANDA, loved ones and her doctors, Ms Green was able to celebrate her daughter's first birthday in May — a celebration she once thought she might not be around for.
"There are so many beautiful moments just waiting for you to be ready and to be ready to seek help, and there's absolutely no shame at all in having postnatal depression," she said.
"No one says motherhood is easy, but it also doesn't have to be so hard that you no longer think you're worthwhile.
"For me, those feelings are slowly passing with treatment and I can see there's a brighter reality to motherhood."