The State of Mental Health in Parenthood
Mental Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to talk about the mental health struggles that often accompany parenting.
Expert: Kellie Wicklund, MA, LPC, PMH-C
At some point, the millennial generation became the target of all kinds of criticism. We’ve been hated on for being the recipients of participation trophies, for our love of avocado toast and dislike of flat sheets, and for our sense of entitlement to a living wage. Say what you will, but the one thing you can’t hate on us for is the fact that we are the generation that normalized going to therapy and sharing our mental health struggles. And it is because of our openness to talk about these topics we are aware of how parenthood affects our mental health—and how many of us feel like we’re drowning.
Mental Health Awareness Month is recognized each May, but for many of us parents, this observance is unnecessary because we experience the effects of the mental health crisis every day of our lives (and even if we aren’t struggling ourselves, there’s a good chance our kids are now or will in the future). Whether it’s coping with infertility, suffering from prenatal depression, navigating postpartum anxiety, trying to fight through fear of public spaces, teetering on the edge of burnout, or feeling out of control with rage, parents today are not OK.
Kellie Wicklund, MA, LPC, PMH-C, a licensed psychotherapist and owner and clinical director of Maternal Wellness Center in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, says she treats today’s parents for a variety of issues, including perinatal and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders, birth trauma, grief and loss, and mental health challenges related to infertility, rage, overwhelm, and burnout—and that’s just skimming the surface.
At Pregnancy & Newborn, we firmly believe in asking for help when struggling with your mental health. Parenting is hard enough on a good day, let alone when just getting out of bed feels like an impossible task. And we want you to know that you are not alone. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, here’s a non-exhaustive list and breakdowns of some of the common struggles parents experience, as well as some treatment options. Read More.
