One of the most common postpartal morbidities is mental illness.  It is estimated that during the postnatal period, up to 1 in 5 mothers and 1 in 10 fathers suffer from mental illness.  Mental problems are responsible for 25% of all mother deaths during the postnatal period, and suicide accounts for one in seven maternal deaths.  Although there are no known incidents of paternal fatalities, fathers are more likely to experience a higher risk of suicide during the postnatal period as a result of mental illness.

In the postnatal period, parents—mothers in particular, and fathers to a lesser extent—are more vulnerable to an array of mental illness.  However, research suggests that affective (mood) disorders typically show up most commonly during the postnatal period. Postnatal blues, postnatal depression, and postnatal psychosis are the three common classifications used to describe postnatal mood disorders.  The prevalence, symptoms, severity, and management of each category vary.  Between 40% and 85% of new mothers’ experience postnatal blues, a milder form of dysphoria, after giving birth.  Other than social support, it is a self-limiting condition that doesn’t require active therapy.  Postnatal depression is the term for depression that manifests four to six weeks after delivery. Nonetheless, research on the prevalence of postnatal depression in both mothers and fathers suggests that it may appear at any point within the first year following childbirth. Ten to twenty percent of mothers are affected, and the maximum occurrence is four months after giving birth. Between 8% and 10% of fathers have PND, with the highest frequency occurring three to six months after childbirth.

The most severe mood illness is postnatal psychosis. One to two mothers out of every 1000 births are affected by this rare, potentially fatal illness that puts both mothers and babies at risk. Research has shown that 4% to 5% of women with psychosis commit infanticide, and suicide. Although the prevalence of postnatal psychosis in fathers has not been determined, it is considered a mental health emergency. Anxiety and stress-related diseases are two other postnatal mental problems that affect parents.  Postnatal anxiety disorder occurs more often, involving 15.2% of mothers and 10.6% of fathers.  Postnatal posttraumatic stress disorder affects 4.7% of mothers and 1.2% of fathers.  Obsessive-compulsive disorders affect 2.4% of women in the postnatal period, which is similar to the rate among fathers.

Postnatal mental health problems are associated with a number of biopsychosocial risk factors, which interact in a complex and reciprocal manner. A traumatic life experience, such as delivery, may have a moderating effect on a person’s mental health, depending on genetic predispositions and vulnerabilities caused by early life trauma, personal attachment difficulties, a family history of mood disorders, and other factors.  Furthermore, prenatal psychological discomfort, obstetric complications, and assisted delivery all increase women’s risk of postnatal mental health problems.  Poor marital relationships, a lack of postnatal care, and lack of sleep during pregnancy and after delivery may all contribute to the development of mental health problems and have a negative influence on the bond between parents and children.

Fathers’ mental health is an often-overlooked yet critical subject in research.  Fathers have been more involved and integrated into parenting responsibilities as a result of changing cultural perceptions of masculinity of males, fatherhood, growing gender equality, and women’s and mothers’ increasing active roles in the workforce. For males of reproductive age, becoming a father is a life-changing experience that will endure the rest of their lives.  Fatherhood has a huge influence on both the man and his child, as well as the entire family.  Fathers may have a unique role in parenting, directly impacting their children’s health in good ways.

Mental health has long been an overlooked, peripheral, and marginal aspect of reproductive health. It is unfortunate that reproductive and mental health have not received greater attention, given their significant contributions to the global burden of disease and disability. Research on reproductive mental health is lacking, according to the majority of surveyed professionals in the disciplines of mental and reproductive health about the prevalence, causes, and outcomes of these problems.