Post-natal depression is one of three categories of post-natal mental illness, which can affect a woman any time in the first year after the birth of her child.
Post-natal depression is one of three categories of post-natal mental illness, which can affect a woman any time in the first year after the birth of her child.
Imagine an illness that affects one in 10 women, that impacts their ability to eat, sleep and function at the most basic level, and, in extreme cases, can be fatal to mothers or their children.
Imagine an illness that affects one in 10 women, that impacts their ability to eat, sleep and function at the most basic level, and, in extreme cases, can be fatal to mothers or their children. And despite the fact that it is treatable, few women understand the illness or receive timely medical help, suffering alone instead. This is the story of post-natal depression.
Many women experience a period of feeling unsettled and unhappy after giving birth. The baby blues, as it is commonly known, affects around 50 per cent of mothers and usually begins about two to four days after birth. It is so common that most medical practitioners consider it a normal part of the post-natal experience. The mother may find herself crying frequently, have difficulty eating and sleeping, and may also feel anxious, sad, guilty or afraid. In most cases, the blues will last just a few days, but if it persists, medical help should be sought as this can develop into post-natal depression.
Post-natal depression (PND) can affect a woman any time in the first year after the birth of her child, irrespective of her age, background and whether the baby is her first. The cause of PND is thought to be a mixture of hormonal upheaval (levels of progesterone plunge dramatically post-birth) and external factors such as the lack of a support network, a traumatic birth experience or a family history of mental problems combined with sleep deprivation and post-labour exhaustion.
One of the difficulties in diagnosing PND is that the usual markers of depression, sleep and appetite disturbance as well as fatigue are common even in non-depressed mothers of young babies. Other symptoms include crying frequently, the inability to concentrate, anxiety about themselves or the baby's health and panic attacks. Some women have obsessive and inappropriate thoughts, fearing they will harm their babies, but this rarely happens. If a woman exhibits any of these symptoms for a period longer than two weeks, she should seek medical help.
Such is the stigma attached to mental illness that all of the women I spoke to requested to remain anonymous, and their names have been changed accordingly.
Polly developed post-natal depression six weeks after the birth of her first child. There was no obvious cause: her pregnancy and the birth went smoothly and she has a very supportive family. This only made her feel worse: "It makes you feel more guilty. You think: 'There is no reason I should be feeling like this. Other people cope, I must be doing a terrible job.' Then, you feel worse and just spiral down to feeling like a useless, worthless mother."
Polly's illness crippled her ability to function normally. "I couldn't turn the steriliser on, or even write my own name." The memories of this dark period of her life are still too raw for her to talk about in any detail, but she identifies one overwhelming feeling: "I was utterly convinced I couldn't do it, that the baby would be better off with someone else looking after her." Every normal new mother fear was magnified in Polly's head. "If you have post-natal depression, your child vomiting after a feed is the most traumatic thing in the world. It just convinces you that you are a terrible mother."
Polly left the UAE to be with her family while she received treatment. "The illness lasted five months. After six months, I was back at work," she says. Treatment was a mixture of practical support, psychotherapy, alternative therapy and medication. "I was prescribed sleeping pills to help me sleep. Once you sort the sleeping bit out, you can get the psychological bit sorted." She also took antidepressants for just under a year.
Polly clearly remembers the day when her baby was four months old and she knew she was on the road to recovery. "I just looked at her, sitting there gurgling at me, and I thought: 'For someone who doesn't know what to do, your baby looks all right!' It was like a cloud lifting. I felt that I was looking at her properly for the first time and a bucket full of love exploded inside me."
Now fully recovered and thinking of having another baby, Polly still feels sad about the time lost when she was ill. "It's a shame when I see photos of her during that gap, because I wasn't there. Physically I was, but mentally, emotionally, the love was not there. I was just going through the motions."
Post-natal depression can last weeks or months, but the earlier a sufferer receives treatment, the shorter and less severe it usually is. "We treat post-natal depression the same as we would treat any depression. The only difference is that this is triggered by the birth of a child, and because it has an impact on the mother's relationship with the child, there is a great deal of concern about it," says Dr Yousef Abou Allaban, the consultant psychiatrist and director of the American Center of Psychiatry and Neurology in Abu Dhabi. "The condition must be treated, but not necessarily with medication. For mild to moderate depression, we can treat it with psychotherapy alone. However, severe depression really needs to be treated with medication as well as psychotherapy." Around three per cent of PND sufferers develop severe depression and require antidepressants. There are many antidepressants which do not affect breast milk, so feeding can continue during treatment.
A more severe form of post-natal mental illness is puerperal psychosis, which affects one in 1,000 mothers. It occurs very suddenly, often within the first 10 days after delivery, and can be life threatening for both the mother and the child. This illness is similar to manic depression or bipolar disorder, and is characterised by erratic behaviour. The symptoms include restlessness, excitement, elation and insomnia. This can develop into general confusion and disorientation. A woman suffering from puerperal psychosis may find it difficult to relate to her environment, and fail to recognise family members. She may even suffer delusions or hallucinations. A mother who is exhibiting any of these symptoms needs urgent medical attention, as there is significant risk of suicide or harm to the baby.
Sarah, originally from the UK, was living in Dubai. "I was living the picture postcard life. I was so happy," she remembers. She had married her husband on a Dubai beach in 2005, and a year later her son was born.
However, a couple of months after the birth, external stresses started to take their toll. Her husband started a new job involving long, unsociable hours and they struggled to move from a one- to a two-bedroom apartment at a time when rents were increasing by thousands of dirhams.
At the same time, Sarah was increasingly isolated from her friends, none of whom had children, and her family was not nearby. She became very depressed. "I'm not a depressive person, but I felt sad and very lonely. I was having panic attacks at very small things. Things gradually got worse, and I stopped sleeping. Then things rapidly spiralled out of control."
After struggling for four months, Sarah's depression got so bad that she had barely slept at all for a period of six weeks. She eventually visited a psychiatrist and was advised to return to the UK for treatment immediately. "When he said that, my world fell apart. I felt I had let everyone down and it was all my fault. I just shut down and couldn't carry on."
By the time she arrived in the UK, Sarah had developed full-blown psychosis. She was sent to a mental hospital where she was given medication and, initially, slipped further into psychosis. "I had delusions. I was hallucinating. I thought the nurses and doctors were trying to kill me." The turning point was when she was admitted to a specialist mother and baby psychiatric unit. After six weeks there, she was discharged from the hospital and had daily, then weekly, check-ups, followed by cognitive behavioural therapy once a fortnight for the next two years.
"My son lost his mum for 12 months. It was 10 to 12 months before I felt I could be OK again," Sarah recalls. "I will never be the same again, but life's worth living now and I never thought I'd say that. The key is to take it one step at a time."
Sarah's illness might not have become so severe had her PND been identified and treated. At her six-week check-up in Dubai, a nurse had asked her a series of questions about her mental state. "I answered 'yes' to all the questions but nothing ever came of it. The gynaecologist put my feelings of anxiety and lack of sleep down to new mother nerves and said: 'You'll be fine, don't worry'."
Despite the prevalence of PND, there is little education about it or post-natal monitoring of mothers. Sarah agrees that the stigma of having a mental health problem would in itself prevent most women from seeking help. "I'd never even heard of post-natal depression before I got ill. I thought people who were depressed should just pull their socks up." She adds: "Women should know about it. It can just happen. It can be anyone."
Sarah is pregnant again, news which was greeted with delight and apprehension by her family, but she is very positive and has a great support network in place. "The most important thing to know is that it does end. When you are ill you feel it is for life, that you will never feel better, that there is no hope. If I can come back from that, pregnant again, then there is light at the end of the tunnel."
Useful websites: The Association for Post Natal Illness (www.apni.org); The National Childbirth Trust (www.nct.org.uk); Post-partum Support International (www.postpartum.net); Mind, a mental health charity (www.mind.org.uk); general depression advice www.depnet.ae
Fixtures
Tuesday - 5.15pm: Team Lebanon v Alger Corsaires; 8.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Pharaohs
Wednesday - 5.15pm: Pharaohs v Carthage Eagles; 8.30pm: Alger Corsaires v Abu Dhabi Storms
Thursday - 4.30pm: Team Lebanon v Pharaohs; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Carthage Eagles
Friday - 4.30pm: Pharaohs v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Team Lebanon
Saturday - 4.30pm: Carthage Eagles v Alger Corsaires; 7.30pm: Abu Dhabi Storms v Team Lebanon
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
england euro squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton)
Defenders: John Stones (Man City), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (Man City), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Reece James (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid)
Midfielders: Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)
Forwards: Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
150 tonnes to landfill
50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Key facilities
Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Lowest Test scores
26 - New Zealand v England at Auckland, March 1955
30 - South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Feb 1896
30 - South Africa v England at Birmingham, June 1924
35 - South Africa v England at Cape Town, April 1899
36 - South Africa v Australia at Melbourne, Feb. 1932
36 - Australia v England at Birmingham, May 1902
36 - India v Australia at Adelaide, Dec. 2020
38 - Ireland v England at Lord's, July 2019
42 - New Zealand v Australia in Wellington, March 1946
42 - Australia v England in Sydney, Feb. 1888
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
