Perinatal depression
If your mental wellbeing has changed during pregnancy or after birth, you deserve care as well as support with everyday responsibilities. Learn about perinatal depression and how to tell someone what feels difficult.
Your wellbeing matters during pregnancy and after birth.
Perinatal depression means depression during pregnancy or in the period after childbirth. Persistent low mood, anxiety and fatigue can make caring for yourself and everyday life difficult. It is a health concern, not a measure of your parenting.
Brief mood changes after birth are often called the baby blues. If feelings continue, worsen or make coping difficult, ask for help rather than assuming you should manage alone.
Support can make room for your needs.
- Your wellbeing
Mood, enjoyment, sleep and what feels difficult
- Your context
Pregnancy, birth, history and daily responsibilities
- Your care
Professional assessment and tailored options
- People beside you
Practical support and help asking for care
Your wellbeing matters in its own right.
Depression during pregnancy or after birth can affect feelings, attention, energy and daily life. Experiences vary, and there is no single way a depressed parent must look. Someone can care deeply about their baby while struggling with their own health.
Perinatal depression is not a failure to be grateful or a measure of your parenting. You can tell a healthcare professional what is difficult even when you are unsure whether it is depression. Assessment can consider other explanations and the support you need.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health
Postpartum psychosis needs urgent medical assessment.
Postpartum psychosis is a separate medical emergency. Sudden severe confusion, hallucinations, unusual beliefs or very marked changes in mood or behavior after birth need urgent assessment. A depression screen cannot assess or exclude it.
Contact a healthcare professional immediately for a same-day assessment if postpartum psychosis is suspected; use your local emergency service for immediate danger. It often starts soon after birth, but later onset is possible. Do not use timing to dismiss symptoms.
Care may require hospital treatment, sometimes in a specialist mother and baby unit where available. Recovery is possible with treatment and support. EPDS and PHQ-9 cannot identify or exclude this emergency, and symptoms are not a judgment of your parenting.
If you are supporting someone with possible postpartum psychosis, seek urgent medical assessment even if they do not recognize the changes themselves. Explain the recent birth and what has changed. Use local emergency services if there is imminent danger; do not ask the person to complete a depression questionnaire before obtaining help.
Based on NHS
What you may want someone to know.
Possible experiences to discuss, not a checklist or a requirement to match every example.
Mood & anxiety
Low mood, hopelessness or anxiety is hard to move past.
Enjoyment
Things you usually enjoy feel distant or less rewarding.
Energy & concentration
Sleep, energy or concentration changes are making the day harder.
Connection & daily care
You feel withdrawn, struggle to connect or find caring responsibilities difficult.
These terms describe different care concerns.
Brief mood changes after birth, depression and postpartum psychosis are not interchangeable labels. The distinctions below give context; they do not determine whether you personally should wait for help. Severe distress or a safety concern deserves attention immediately.
The postpartum-psychosis information remains linked within this page, with urgent help above the main reading. A supporter may need to seek help because the affected person does not recognize that they are unwell.
Baby blues
Usually mild and short-lived mood changes after birth; raise any concern that feels difficult to manage.
Perinatal depression
Depressive difficulties during pregnancy or after birth that need individual assessment and care.
Postpartum psychosis
A serious acute illness requiring urgent medical assessment; it is not ordinary baby blues.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health · NHS
You can start with a midwife, primary-care or perinatal conversation.
Tell a healthcare professional what has changed, when it started and what support you need. Assessment can consider mood, sleep, health, history and your circumstances; a screening result is only one part.
EPDS is a perinatal screening measure; PHQ-9 describes recent depression symptoms. Neither establishes a diagnosis or checks the safety of you or your baby. Scores need an appropriate professional response and context.
Based on NIMH · NHS · Cox, Holden and Sagovsky · PubMed · Levis and colleagues · PubMed · Kroenke, Spitzer and Williams · PubMed
- 1What has changed for you?
Your mood, enjoyment, sleep or everyday experience.
- 2When and where is it hardest?
During pregnancy or after birth, and the responsibilities that feel difficult.
- 3What support do you need?
Professional care, practical help or a clearer explanation of your options.
You can begin with a sentence about your day.
In a fictional example, Noor says, “I am getting through the baby tasks, but I feel low and cannot switch off enough to rest.” That can start an appointment without a polished explanation or a questionnaire result. A professional can ask about mood, sleep, functioning, health and safety.
You can also mention barriers such as transport, childcare, language or feeling afraid of being judged. Ask which support is available and whether a person you choose can attend. In England, a midwife, health visitor or GP can help connect you with appropriate services; arrangements differ elsewhere.
Fictional examples to explain an experience. They are not a checklist or a diagnosis.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health · NHS
Ask who is looking after each part of your care.
Treatment can include psychological care, medication or both, with decisions tailored to your circumstances. Pregnancy, feeding and other medicines are relevant topics for a qualified professional. Do not start or stop prescribed treatment because of this hub.
If several services are involved, ask who coordinates the plan and follow-up. You should know whom to contact about worsening difficulties, treatment questions and urgent changes. The map below is a set of roles to discuss, rather than a promise that every service is available locally.
Mental-health care
Assessment, treatment choices and review.
Maternity / primary care
Relevant physical health, pregnancy or postnatal care.
Chosen practical support
Help with appointments, household tasks or opportunities to rest.
Urgent contact
A clear route when immediate assessment is needed.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health · NHS
A useful offer can be specific and manageable.
A supporter could offer company at an appointment, handle an agreed household task or help create an opportunity to rest. Ask what the parent wants rather than assuming that taking over every decision will help. Practical support can accompany treatment; it is not a cure or a test of effort.
Care can also include the effect on relationships and the supporter’s own needs. You do not need an ideal family arrangement to ask for help. If there is immediate danger to the parent or baby, contact local emergency services instead of waiting for routine follow-up.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health · NHS · NHS
- Mental health around pregnancy
Explore broader care coordination and ongoing conditions.
- Supporting someone
Find ways to listen and offer practical help.
- Medication conversations
Prepare questions for the professional who knows your health.
You deserve to understand your care.
Struggling does not make you a bad parent. You can ask for support for yourself.
What an assessment can involve
A little clarity. A place to start.
Explore a tool, prepare a conversation or find someone to talk to. Choose what feels useful to you.
Prepare for a conversation
A few prompts to help you explain what you have noticed and what you would like help with.
- A simple notes builder
- Copy your notes to keep
- No account needed
You decide how much to write and share.
Find your wordsFind your next kind of support
Explore where to begin with everyday support, professional help or an urgent conversation.
- Ways to ask for help
- Country-specific crisis contacts
- Support at your own pace
If you need urgent help, go straight to support.
Find supportYour first sentence does not need to be perfect.
You might tell a midwife, health visitor or primary-care professional that your mood has changed and daily life feels difficult. You can bring written notes or someone you trust; you do not need to wait for a routine check.
Based on NHS
“My mood and wellbeing have changed during pregnancy or after birth. Daily life feels difficult, and I would like support for myself as well as help with caring responsibilities.”Make it sound like you
Your questions, with room for nuance.
You can read just the answer you need.
Can depression begin during pregnancy?
Yes. Perinatal depression includes depression during pregnancy as well as after childbirth. You can request support during pregnancy without waiting until after the birth.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health
Does struggling mean I am a bad parent?
No. Perinatal depression is a health condition, and having it is not your fault. Your concerns deserve assessment and support.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health
Do I have to wait two weeks before seeking help?
No. Duration can be part of diagnostic assessment, but it is not a waiting rule for care. Seek help for severe distress, worrying changes or safety concerns immediately.
Based on National Institute of Mental Health · NHS
Can a supporter seek help about sudden changes?
Yes. In possible postpartum psychosis, someone close may recognize changes before the affected person does. Seek urgent medical assessment; use emergency services for immediate danger.
Based on NHS
Where this information comes from.
Use this hub to learn and prepare questions. It does not diagnose you or recommend a personal treatment plan. By Selfmora editorial; sources checked . Updated .
Additional explanations and examples: sources consulted . Examples illustrate ideas; they do not assess your personal health. Your questions
- Perinatal Depression
- Postnatal depression
- Postpartum psychosis
- Detection of postnatal depression: development of the 10-item EPDS
- EPDS accuracy among pregnant and postpartum women
- The PHQ-9: validity of a brief depression severity measure
- Find mental-health care before, during and after pregnancy