What can happen if postnatal depression is untreated?

Postnatal depression may involve persistent low mood, loss of interest, guilt, anxiety, irritability, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, or feeling disconnected from the baby. Without care, symptoms can make feeding, rest, self-care, and asking for help harder. They may also strain relationships and reduce opportunities for reassuring contact with the baby. These effects are signs of an illness, not a failure as a parent, and they can improve with appropriate support.

Tell a GP, midwife, obstetrician, health visitor, or trusted person what you have been experiencing. Perinatal mental health support may include talking therapy, practical help, medical treatment, or a combination. Ask someone reliable to help with meals, rest, appointments, or baby care while you recover. If speaking feels difficult, show a written description of your symptoms and how they affect your day.

Get urgent help now if you might harm yourself or the baby, cannot keep yourself safe, feel detached from reality, hear or see things others do not, or have rapidly changing and frightening thoughts. Do not stay alone in that situation; contact emergency services or go to an emergency department and ask someone you trust to stay with you.

Ask whether your symptoms fit postnatal depression, which support is available locally, how treatment works with breastfeeding, and what safety plan to use if thoughts become more intense.