This is just a quick heads-up to let you all know about a relevant 'real STORY' programme being broadcast on the Beeb this evening.
Tonight's programme, hosted by Fiona Bruce, is looking at Post Natal Depression (PND) and claims that nearly half of all new mums suffering from PND try to hide the symptoms of the condition from health visitors. The programme conducted a survey in which 44% of respondents with PND symptoms deliberately lied about them when filling in the Edinburgh Scale form - a form designed to flag up potential sufferers.
Besides the very common new parenting experience of the 'baby blues, as many as 7% of new mums suffer depression after birth, regardless of whether or not it is their first child, and it can take many months to get the illness in check. Until a mother, or her family, acknowledges the illness and tries to get help, it usually goes entirely untreated, so prolonging the recovery process indefinitely.
Of the 597 mums with PND who completed the survey conducted through NetMums, 236 said that they had lied on the form. The reason most gave was that they were worried about being perceived as 'bad mothers' and even frightened that the illness would lead to trouble with social services and the spectre of losing their children. One theory that the programme investigates is that recent high-profile abuse cases have sharpened the focus on abuse for health visitors, but it's also fair to say that women suffering with PND are more likely to be susceptible to worries about how others perceive their parental abilities.
You can follow the full story tonight at 7.30 on BBC1, and find out more about real STORY here.
