Postnatal depression and marginalised women: Shocking revelations from University of Warwick researchers

A new study from the University of Warwick exposes the stark disparities within society that have long supressed the voices of marginalised women dealing with postnatal depression. Titled "The Last Taboo of Motherhood?", and funded by the Wellcome Trust, the project sheds light on how societal structures have stigmatised working-class, unmarried, teenage, disabled, lesbian, and ethnic minority mothers in the delivery of maternity care and responses to maternal mental health throughout the 20 century. Researchers, Dr Fabiola Creed and Professor Hilary Marland, reveal that a lack of resources and safe spaces has perpetuated a cycle of underrepresentation, leaving these women feeling unheard and dismissed. Many women experiencing postnatal depression in the 20 century felt unable to share their experiences due to the shame attached to poor mental health following childbirth, a time that was meant to be one of happiness and fulfilment. The researchers show how this fear of sharing started to change, mainly after the 1980s. Women began to write about and discuss their personal experiences; and campaigned with health professionals and organisations like the National Childbirth Trust for improved services and a better understanding of postnatal psychosis and depression. Hilary Marland, Professor of History at the University of Warwick, said: "Our research unveils the distressing reality faced by women dealing with postnatal depression across the 20 century.