Adolescent pregnant's mental health

photo: www.rcpsych.ac.uk

Normally pregnancy is good for the mental health of a mature woman. She enjoys pregnancy and in many cases it is found that pregnancy works as a protection from depression and other mental illness suffered by a woman. But things take a dramatic turn when it happens to an adolescent girl. If she gets pregnant in the absence of any social arrangement like marriage it is a serious trauma for her. Adolescents exposed to such type of trauma may have difficulty describing their feelings and adapting their emotions to express their needs. They may be aroused by intense emotions such as anger and express anger in excess and in inappropriate ways. Other symptoms can include depression and preoccupation with suicide.
In normal situation where the adolescent girl is married with consent of her family members things may also become risky because she suffers from anxiety. It often happens that the adolescent girl has to yield to social pressures to bear a child. Some times she is totally unaware about becoming pregnant. One day suddenly she feels unusual changes and gets to know she is pregnant. As she does not have any previous knowledge she fears these unusual changes happening to her body due to pregnancy. She cannot express her fear because girls of this age tend to be shy. She is therefore under constant stress. Sometimes it grows into feelings of detachment or disorientation. Dissociation is described as the mental process of disengaging from the outside world and focusing on the inner world. It may involve a distorted sense of time or a detached feeling as if observing what is happening to her is unreal.
Pregnant adolescent may feel an exaggerated sense of shame and guilt. They believe that their life will be changed permanently. They are likely to blame themselves for this negative experience. This can cause anger, depression and lead to self destructive behaviours.
All these consequences of adolescent pregnancy seriously hamper the psychological development of an adolescent resulting in serious mental illness in later ages. It even affects her child's psychological development.
Increased level of support and empathy from family members is very effective for pregnant  adolescents so that she can express herself and feel in a safe environment. A referral to a mental health professional, who can evaluate the adolescent, may be beneficial in getting the intervention that the adolescent needs.
Finally, we have to stop child marriage and build a conducive environment so that no girl suffers from mental illness due to adolescent pregnancy. Prevention is better than cure.

The writer is Assistant Professor, National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka.