A psychiatrist based in Suva, Doctor Violet Erasito says around 10 percent of women who give birth annually in Fiji are affected with peripartum depression.
Peripartum depression occurs during pregnancy when the woman is pregnant or within four weeks of childbirth.
Dr. Erasito says it is a major mental health or psychiatric illness, with symptoms similar to depression but with a slight twist, as it occurs in the context of childbirth or pregnancy.
Dr. Erasito highlighted this during the Fiji Medical Association Central Mini-Conference.
She said that approximately 2,000 women in Fiji suffer from depression, with about 1,000 women experiencing severe depression during and after pregnancy.
She adds between 2019 and 2024, only 17 diagnosed cases were recorded at St. Giles Hospital, despite being told there are approximately 20,000 deliveries annually in Fiji.
Dr Erasito also highlighted that there are no solid national figures, as no formal studies have been conducted in Fiji’s context.
She adds some obstetric professionals who have worked in the field for many years believe the issue is significantly underreported.
On a global scale, Dr Erasito says that peripartum depression affects about 6 percent of women, with major depressive episodes occurring during pregnancy and up to four weeks after delivery.
She adds 50 percent of these cases begin before childbirth, and between 1 in 500 and 1 in 1,000 women experience postpartum psychosis, which is a severe mental health condition.
Dr Erasito says the risk is higher among those women giving birth for the first time and women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
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