Women who suffered a concussion… have a 25% higher risk of ‘this’ after giving birth?

Women with a history of concussion have a 25% higher risk of experiencing serious mental health problems after giving birth, a new study suggests. This is the content reported by Medical Express, a medical media outlet, based on a paper by Canadian researchers published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry on the 4th (local time).

Researchers tracked the postnatal mental health outcomes of more than 750,000 mothers who gave birth in Ontario, Canada between 2007 and 2017 for up to 14 years. They found that 7% of mothers who experienced severe postpartum mental illness had no history of concussion, while 11% had a history of concussion. Even after adjusting for a variety of factors, including age, income, and history of interpersonal violence, concussions were associated with a 25 percent higher risk of severe mental illness.

These findings were particularly striking among women who had no prior mental health diagnosis. Among women who had never received a mental health diagnosis, those with a history of concussion had a 33% increased risk of developing severe postpartum mental illness compared to those without a history of concussion.

“People with a history of concussion are much more likely to experience serious mental health problems, such as psychiatric emergency room visits and self-harm, in the years after giving birth,” said Samantha Kruger, a doctoral candidate in health research at McMaster University in Canada and lead author of the paper. pointed out. He said, “This study shows that it is important to check in advance for a history of concussion during pregnancy and postpartum care.”

Professor Hilary Brown of the Department of Health and Social Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada, and the lead researcher, pointed out that the physical and emotional burden of parenting can worsen concussion-related problems. “Sleep is critical to recovery after a head injury, but many new parents struggle with sleep deprivation,” he said. “Cognitive impairment, sensitivity to light and noise, and the stress of caring for a newborn can all worsen concussion symptoms, which can take a while. “Over time, it can increase the risk of mental health problems.”

The paper can be found at the following link: