Famous showbiz actress Sarwat Gilani has emphasized the need to raise public awareness about postpartum depression in Pakistan.
She shared on a TV program that after the birth of her third child she experienced symptoms of this condition, including anxiety, difficulty breathing, recurring troubling thoughts at night, and painful thoughts about her baby.
The actress said that mental illnesses are not visible on the outside, so many people consider them insignificant, but they are real and serious conditions.
She appealed to parents and families to take early signs of postpartum depression seriously and provide emotional and medical support to affected women.
Sharing her personal experience, Sarwat Gilani said that her husband understood the situation and supported her, and with proper care and guidance many women’s conditions can improve.
She added that while in the hospital she sometimes thought that if she harmed her newborn daughter her struggles would end, but no mother ever wants to do that, and this is a disease.
According to experts postpartum depression is common and timely identification and treatment can save lives. Social support medical counseling and access to mental health services are therefore very important.