Ananya Child Development Centre Podcast · Ananya CDC

Breaking the Silence: Understanding Perinatal Mental Health with Dr. Swetha Reddy

·38 min·2 clips

One in six women develop depression, one in four anxiety, and one in seven OCD.

Madhavi welcomes listeners from Asha Hospital, Banjara Hills. The episode starts with a straightforward acknowledgment that perinatal mental health is both important and often kept quiet. Dr. Shweta Reddy joins with experience from Asha Hospital and Rainbow Hospitals, along with specialized training in perinatal psychiatry from Massachusetts General Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School. That background gives the conversation a clear clinical frame. The first exchange asks what perinatal psychiatric disorders are. Dr. Shweta explains that the perinatal period runs from conception through one year after birth. She includes pregnancy and the breastfeeding period in that same arc. She says women can face several mental health challenges during that time. The conversation then asks why these disorders are so often overlooked. One reason is straightforward: many people do not know what the term covers. Another is stigma. Dr. Shweta describes the common belief that psychiatric care is only for people seen as not mentally sound, and she names that belief as a major barrier in India. The hosts note that younger people are becoming more open to mental health support. She points out that some teenagers now ask their parents for appointments themselves. The discussion then turns to depression during pregnancy. Dr. Shweta contrasts brief mood swings with the persistent low mood that signals depression. She explains that sadness, happiness, anger, and other shifts can come and go quickly, while depression stays in the foreground. From there, the conversation moves to hormones. Progesterone is described as essential for maintaining pregnancy, but it can also affect mood and contribute to low feelings in some women. She distinguishes between people who develop depression for the first time during pregnancy and those whose existing depression worsens during pregnancy and postpartum. The episode closes by reframing help-seeking as part of caring for both mother and baby. The tone stays warm, measured, and instructional throughout.

As heard by us

A clear guide to perinatal mood changes, stigma, and when to seek help.

The episode treats perinatal mental health as a clinical issue, not a private failing. It moves from defining the perinatal window to separating ordinary mood shifts from depression, and it keeps circling back to the stigma around seeking psychiatric help.

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Why you'd press play

For when pregnancy feels emotionally heavier than anyone around you can explain.

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