Many expecting parents may know they can experience postpartum depression after giving birth but be less aware they can become depressed while pregnant. That was the case for Shay Mitchell, who experienced serious depression during her first pregnancy.
Mitchell, who gave birth to daughter Atlas in October 2019, opened up about her own prenatal (meaning “pre-birth”) depression on a February 25 episode of actor Katie Lowes’s parenting podcast Katie’s Crib, as People reports. While Mitchell described herself as “so blessed” for the majority of her pregnancy, she also says that the challenges she faced were extremely difficult—and came sooner than expected.
“I had prepartum [depression]. Not post, but pre,” the 33-year-old explained. “That was something I didn’t know back then. I only knew [about] postpartum, so I was preparing myself for that. But then when I was upset and not feeling my best during [pregnancy], I was like, ‘Wait, what’s this? Nobody talked about this. I should be so happy right now.'”
Mitchell told Lowes that her experience with prenatal depression is a factor she has in mind now as she considers having a second child. “I’m nervous to go back into it for that again,” she said. “I’m going to be honest and say it: I want [Atlas to have] a sibling so bad, but I don’t want to go through pregnancy again. I wasn’t that beaming goddess that absolutely loved it. I don’t want to do it again because it took a toll on me mentally.”
Mitchell has previously spoken about the loneliness and depression she experienced during her pregnancy. Shortly before giving birth in October 2019, Mitchell told maternity clothing brand Hatch that she isolated herself at home to hide her pregnancy for the first five to six months, because the miscarriage she had in 2018 made her anxious about sharing the news. “I thought I was going out of my mind and questioned why nobody ever talked to me about this phase,” she said. The social support she received after sharing her pregnancy news, though, helped her realize that her feelings were normal, she said—and that discussing these kinds of feelings more openly could help normalize them for other people too.
Along with postpartum depression, prenatal depression is a type of perinatal depression (“perinatal” meaning before and after birth). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) estimates that perinatal depression affects one in seven pregnant women. Perinatal depression is probably caused by a combination of biological and environmental factors, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), including hormonal changes, the physical and emotional stress of pregnancy and taking care of a newborn, other life stressors, and a personal or family history of depression.
Treating perinatal depression is important for the health of both the pregnant person and their baby, according to the NIMH. Like many forms of depression, treatment may include therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy), medication (typically antidepressants), or a combination of both to help reduce symptoms, the NIMH says. But of course, the first step is getting a proper diagnosis from a health care provider, which is why ACOG recommends universal screening for perinatal depression in pregnant people. And increased discussion and normalization of the fact that perinatal depression can begin during pregnancy may help people be more aware of the mental health difficulties they could encounter after conceiving.
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