Who cares for me? Why nobody understands me? Why do my kids don’t listen to me? These are some of the nagging questions that a mom feels when she suffers from Depression.
And as the popular saying goes, “When mom is unhappy, everybody is unhappy.” Therefore, it has become vital for all moms to identify the depression symptoms and get them treated as early as possible.
Today, many children have become victims of maternal depression.
As per the latest statistics –
- one out of every four women suffer from this mental illness called depression
- about 20% of the new moms develop Postpartum Depression
Mothers who suffer from depression have the following symptoms:
- lack enthusiasm
- irritable behavior
- feel lethargy
- suicidal thoughts
- low mood
- lack of energy
- disturbance in proper sleep
- difficulty in focusing on a given activity or household work
- changes in appetite and weight
Impact on Kids
We all know that when a child is in trouble, parents are depressed. But when the parents are depressed, the child is in big trouble. Below are some of the negative effects that have been observed in children whose parents, especially mom, suffer from depression.
- the likelihood of children falling in depression increases by 50% even before their adulthood
- your kids start displaying negative emotions and get frustrated quite often
- it affects social and emotional development of a child
- they become less attentive in school
- their performance in studies and other social activities tend to decrease.
- they become stubborn, uncontrollable and often refuse to parental authorities.
- they do less interaction with their mom.
- few kids have also seen to eat less food and suffer from lack of sleep.
Advice to all Moms who wanna be Supermoms
Please do seek treatment whether your depression is at normal or severe level. Talk about your problems to the doctor and get the required medication done. Besides, do give importance to social activities like meeting friends, attending functions, etc. even if you don’t feel like doing so. This will keep your mood up and will help you recover faster from depression. Get adequate sleep and practice meditation or deep breathing exercises. Helps a lot! Last but not the least; spend more quality time with your children. Understand their problems and solve them with gentle care. Your love and affection will be an antidote to their negative emotions.
Remember, the secret of a healthy family is a healthy mom.
Take care of yourself!
