Mental health visits for new mothers were 30 percent higher during the Covid-19 pandemic than before it, particularly in the first three months after giving birth, revealed a new research.

Postpartum mental illness affects as many as one in five mothers and can have long-term effects on children and families if it becomes chronic.

"Increased visit rates began in March 2020, although the state of emergency was declared only midway through the month, suggesting that distress related to the pandemic translated into an increased need for care very quickly," said researchers including Simone Vigod, chief of psychiatry at Women's College Hospital (WCH) in Canada.

For the study, the researchers looked at mental health visits by 137,609 people in Ontario during the postpartum period (from date of birth to 365 days after) from March to November 2020 and collected data on age, number of children.

The increased use of virtual care may have removed barriers to postpartum mental health support, such as the need to travel, find childcare for older children, or manage erratic schedules, enabling more people to seek care, the researchers noted.

"Health systems should focus proactively on patients from high-risk groups, monitor waiting lists for care, and explore creative solutions to expand system capacity, with special attention to postpartum patients who may be experiencing barriers to care," they advised.

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT)