Thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy can be a sign of dangerous psychological problems such as depression, anxiety disorders or severe stress. Pregnant women are extremely sensitive to hormonal changes, so it’s easy to think negative things. If the family finds out that a pregnant woman has these symptoms, they should quickly take them to the nearest hospital for timely examination and treatment.
Why do pregnant women think they want to die while pregnant?
Pregnancy is a sacred and noble responsibility of a woman that lasts for 9 months and 10 days. During this period, not only the mother’s appearance, but also the mother’s skin, health, and spirit also have great changes. For example, gaining weight, the body looks more bulky, the skin is more acne-prone, back pain, abdominal pain, difficult walking makes the mother always feel tired.
Pregnant women with depression or anxiety always have thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy
Especially, the psychology of most pregnant women is extremely sensitive and easy to think. For example, if someone accidentally says that a pregnant woman is fat or ugly, they can burst into tears quickly. This can be influenced by changes in certain hormones to support the delivery process but have an impact on the mood of the pregnant woman. However, the family should not be indifferent to the mood of the pregnant woman, especially when they have thoughts of wanting to commit suicide.
Statistics show that the percentage of pregnant women who have psychological problems leading to thinking of wanting to die during pregnancy is increasing. Although the press and media have warned a lot, but not everyone fully understands the extent and causes of these problems. So why do pregnant women think that they want to die?
Depression during pregnancy
One study showed that the rate of women suffering from depression and thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy is up to 14% – 23%, but not everyone is detected and treated in time. The cause of this condition is not only due to hormonal changes, but also largely related to external environmental influences, especially the husband or can also recur if the woman has had the disease before. .
For example, the pregnant woman, although her body is tired but still has to work, still has to worry about the burden of money; pregnant women are often judged by those around them for their appearance; conflicts with her husband or with her husband’s family or because of her husband’s lack of attention. All of them have a very bad impact on the mental health of people who are already psychologically sensitive like pregnant women.
Pregnant women with mental depression are always moody, sluggish, do not want to talk to anyone, are always closed, easily irritable, easily angry and also cry easily. They may stop eating, don’t want to eat anything, but sometimes they can also eat too much. The whole body of a depressed person always has an extremely melancholy feeling as if there is no energy left for life, no longer eager to do anything.
Depression is like a big worm that eats away all the joy and happiness of pregnant women, making them seem to no longer feel happy. Any problem becomes negative in the eyes of people suffering from depression during pregnancy, their light of hope will be extinguished if husband and family do not understand, criticize or cool them. When it is too much to bear, thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy will appear.
In fact, many cases of pregnant women with depression and suicide have occurred or a few others may have insidious symptoms that persist even after childbirth, and also appear in many bad situations. The family’s lack of care, sophistication and empathy could not detect the unusual emotions of the pregnant woman until it was too late to regret.
Anxiety disorder during pregnancy
Anxiety disorder is also a psychological problem that many pregnant women have, especially those who are pregnant for the first time, pregnant at a young age, pregnant but have no one to take care of or who are inherently responsible. was thinking and worrying a lot. When the emotions of restlessness, anxiety, fear keep going on in the mind, pregnant women don’t know what to do and start having thoughts like wanting to die.
There are many things that make pregnant women constantly worry and cannot control their thoughts
The problems that pregnant women often worry about, such as money problems, how to take care of their children properly, worry about the future… All this goes on in the minds of pregnant women. they cannot rest. People with anxiety disorders are often accompanied by problems such as insomnia, sleep disorders, and nightmares that make their health worse and worse.
Anxiety disorder during pregnancy makes the patient feel like they are suffocating, feel like they are about to die, so they fall into a state of extreme panic. In people with obsessive-compulsive disorder, there are also tendencies such as excessive hand washing, sudden fear of childbirth, childcare, or uncontrollable repetitive actions. Okay.
Thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy will arise if a pregnant woman’s worries cannot be answered in any way. They will gradually feel despair, pain, sadness, mind filled with negativity. Prolonged insecurities make them seem more excitable, negative emotions if not controlled soon can give rise to suicidal behavior at any time.
Some other psychological problems
As mentioned, due to the influence of hormones during pregnancy, pregnant women are often prone to psychological problems. Pregnant women are often angry, irritable, and cry more easily, but if they do not receive appropriate empathy and attention, the level of symptoms will increase and lead to thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy appear. .
Specifically, a number of other psychological problems pregnant women are also prone to encounter such as:
- Eating disorder
- Bipolar disorder.
- Schizophrenia
- Big stress
The incidence of these diseases will be higher if the pregnant woman has previously had psychological problems or has a loved one with the disease or is inherently mentally weak. Although the symptoms related to these diseases are quite clear, very few people are detected early. It is only when pregnant women have excessive abnormal behavior that they are examined, at which time the treatment also much more difficult.
Do pregnant women think that wanting to die during pregnancy is dangerous?
Psychological problems are inherently extremely dangerous diseases because their progress is quite silent, so it is difficult to predict and detect. Above all, the pregnant woman’s psychology is already extremely sensitive, if she suffers from psychological diseases or is affected by the external environment, it will be easy to become agitated and have unexpected and uncontrollable behaviors.
Psychological problems make pregnant women increasingly exhausted, their health declines and affects the fetus
There are people who appear to think that they want to die during pregnancy but receive the attention of their family and not to the point of danger, they can still be aware of the baby’s role in their life, so they try to overcome it. . However, there are people who have to live in negativity for a long time, their minds are always extremely melancholy, agitated, their suicidal behaviors can happen at any time.
On the other hand, depression or anxiety disorders as well as other psychological problems affect not only the pregnant mother but also the health of the fetus. The reason is that when stress, pressure, and negativity often cause lack of oxygen during pregnancy, the blood circulation process or bringing nutrients to the fetus is also affected. The mother’s lack of sleep or erratic eating also makes the baby less developed.
Research has shown that pregnant women with psychological problems leading to thinking of wanting to die during pregnancy are often at risk of miscarriage, having children born with stunted or malformations, growth retardation, hyperactivity, and at the same time, they are also susceptible to other diseases. mother’s psychological problems. If the mother has to take medication during this time, it will increase the risk of birth defects, so it should be extremely cautious.
Pregnant women with thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy should do what?
When the family sees that the pregnant woman also has abnormal psychological symptoms, having thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy, she should soon take the patient to a psychiatric hospital or a psychological center for early examination and treatment. best. The support and care of the family, especially the husband, is the most effective medicine to soon bring the patient back to a happy life.
Psychotherapy
For special subjects such as pregnant women, psychological care is the main measure aimed at because drugs often come with many adverse side effects for the health of mothers and fetuses. Psychotherapy has no side effects and really brings many good effects to pregnant women not only in terms of mental health but also in overall health.
Accordingly, pregnant women will need to talk to a psychologist about their current feelings and thoughts about the things that they feel frustrated, worried or upset about. Through that, the psychologist will find the root cause of the problem and guide the patient on how to clear the problems in the mind, replacing negative thoughts with more positive correct ones.
The therapist will also prevent the thought of wanting to die during pregnancy by guiding the pregnant woman with measures to take care of the spirit, relieve stress, and cope with life’s difficulties. At the same time, the psychologist also points out to the patient what is right and wrong, offers the most appropriate solution in each problem so that the pregnant woman’s mind becomes more and more joyful and optimistic, loves life more, and guides to a bright future.
Drug treatment
As mentioned, antidepressants inherently come with a lot of side effects that are not good for users’ health. Therefore, taking antidepressants during pregnancy is usually not recommended, only used when absolutely necessary. The doctor will consider the condition of the pregnant woman and prescribe the appropriate drugs, with the fewest side effects to ensure the health of both mother and child.
Some commonly prescribed drugs for pregnant women with depression or anxiety disorders who think that they may die during pregnancy are usually citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft). Make sure to follow your doctor’s instructions about the dose, type of medicine and how to use it. Absolutely do not abuse or add or subtract any drug that leaves a lot of bad consequences.
Home care regimen
According to experts, family members, especially husbands, should always accompany the patient to psychotherapy or hospital to better understand and know the most appropriate care. The encouragement of the husband and family at this time is the most effective medicine, soothing the heart and mind that is full of hurt and anxiety of pregnant women, so that they can quickly eliminate thoughts. I want to die while pregnant.
The husband always needs to be by his side to take care of and encourage his wife during pregnancy and childbirth
Some home care measures can help the sick person at this time such as
- You can consider letting the wife go home for a while to feel more comfortable (in case the root of the problem is related to conflicts and impacts when staying with the husband’s house).
- Encourage the patient to go to bed early before 11pm, make sure to sleep for 7-8 hours a day, so take advantage of sleep as soon as you feel sleepy.
- Take control of your daily medication intake to ensure the right dose and time
- Share, chat about daily problems, problems around life to better understand what pregnant women need, want, what is uncomfortable, from which to have the best solution and support.
- Take prenatal classes with pregnant women or find ways to learn how to take care of your baby to reduce constant anxiety
- Encourage pregnant women to learn yoga or meditation, which is both good for their health and spirit, helps to ease childbirth and is also good in maintaining a beautiful figure, avoiding being bloated right after giving birth. Studies have also shown that meditation and yoga are very good at managing stress, eliminating thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy.
- Take care of a scientific and suitable diet for pregnant women to both be good for their children and gain weight to the standards. Sometimes pregnant women gain too much weight is not good. Please consult a nutritionist to understand how much weight gain is enough, avoiding excessive weight gain will be very stressful and not really good for the development of the fetus.
- Increase the intake of green vegetables, fruits, nuts or milk, stay away from greasy foods, hot spicy foods, fast foods, alcoholic drinks or other stimulants
- Maintain a daily exercise routine to strengthen resistance, good for mental health, and also help ease childbirth.
- Pregnant women can refer to gentle subjects such as walking, swimming..
- Reading books, listening to music, smelling scents are also effective methods for mental relaxation and anxiety relief for pregnant women.
- If it is related to the impacts and conflicts in the family, the husband needs to find a solution soon to avoid this situation prolonging.
Pregnant women who have thoughts of wanting to die during pregnancy in a state of extreme agitation and melancholy may plan to perform this behavior suddenly without anyone being able to stop it, so they need early treatment. Each family with a pregnant woman should pay more attention to words and behaviors, always creating a happy atmosphere for mental comfort, and minimizing the risk of these dangerous diseases.
