Postnatal depression in middle class Pakistani women

Objective: to assess the presence of Postnatal Depression in middle class Pakistani women

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Material and Methods: this observational study was conducted in department of Gynecology and Obstetrics Hameed Latif Hospital, Lahore from 1st November 2009 to 31st October, 2010.Women between the age of 20 to 40 presenting to the obstetrical unit for simple vaginal delivery and caesarian section were included and were observed for 40 post-natal days. Any woman with co-morbid factors such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension were excluded from the study. The Edinburgh post-natal depression scale was used to assess and identify postnatal depression

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Results: 250 women belonging to middle or upper social class were studied. 94 [38%] were identified with post-natal depression. 5 needed referral to a psychiatrist; the rest responded to counseling and support. Educational level had a direct bearing on the condition. Most women had never heard of post-natal depression

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Conclusion: post-natal depression affects a significant number of Pakistani women but is not recognized; there needs to be better education of women in general and obstetricians in particular to manage this condition