When the caregiver needs care: A look into maternal mental health
She had just brought a life into this world; everyone expected her to glow with joy. Instead, she sat by the crib in silence, eyes heavy with exhaustion and a mind clouded with fear and anxiety.
For many mothers in Ghana (and around the world) this is not an isolated feeling, but a quiet reality. While most people view motherhood as a pinnacle of strength and grace, they forget the silent struggles that accompany it. Maternal mental health is one of the most pertinent aspects of mental health, yet it is treated as an afterthought, if acknowledged at all. From postpartum depression to anxiety, the psychological toll of motherhood is real, yet most mothers bear them alone. It’s time we started listening.
The invisible burden
According to the World Health Organization, maternal mental health refers to “the state of emotional and psychological well-being of a woman during pregnancy, delivery, and the period of up to one year after delivery.” In Ghana, where cultural values deeply value self-sacrifice and selflessness, the emotional toll of motherhood is brushed aside, leaving mothers to suffer in silence and isolation. Alarmingly, studies over the past two decades have revealed a high prevalence of perinatal depression in Ghana, reaching rates as high as 50.1%. Even more concerning is the suicide ideation rate among pregnant and postpartum women, which range from 13% to 17%. These numbers are not just statistics —they are cries for help in our homes, communities, and country.
Cultural silence and stigma
At the heart of Ghana’s maternal mental health crisis lies a culture of stigma and silence. Mental illnesses are still largely misunderstood by most Ghanaians, seldom seen as a medical condition, but as spiritual problems or immaturity. For mothers, this stigma is compounded by society’s expectation of them. For the most part, pregnant women or first-time mothers are expected to be cloaked in confidence and security; however, a first-time mother cannot be expected to exude confidence when she’s quietly carrying the weight of a world she has only just begun to understand. From reponsibilities involved with caring for a newborn to planning and integrating a new lifestyle into her work schedule, motherhood demands strong resilience and perseverence that isn’t inbuilt. It is moulded from experience. Despite this, most women walk down the path to motherhood alone and misunderstood.
May in purple: Raising awareness and breaking the silence
This year, May drapes itself in purple —not in loud fanfare, but to recognise and empower the minds on the edge. It is a month that whipers of stories of survivors, of unseen battles hidden behind a smile, and of healing. Conversations concerning mental health begin to stir and campaigns fill our feeds. Yet one voice is hidden behind the rest: a voice tucked away behind nursery doors, wrapped in baby blankets and polite smiles. As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness this month, we must also celebrate the trembling hands that steady the cradle in the dark. Since May is for mental health, May is for mothers as well. When a mother’s mind is thrown into disarray, the thread begins to loosen for everyone else. A child senses what is unsaid and the village that once raised her child forgets to carry her too. Maternal mental health is not a solitary experience. It is collective. It touches generations, shapes childhoods, and fertilises the soil of family life. We cannot honour mental health without first honouring the hearts that held ours when we could not hold our own: the woman who not just carried a child, but the weight of her child’s fears, futures, and fragile beginnings.
From awareness to action
What use is awareness if it never becomes action? Awareness is the candle’s flicker, not yet the fire. To truly honour maternal mental health, we must move beyond conversations and venture into transformation. Clinics must become more than sterile rooms with ticking clocks. They must become havens: places where stories are not hushed and where a mother’s weary heart is met with open minds and trained hearts. Mental health screenings should sit beside every blood test and every ultrasound. For the mother whose smiles mask sleepless nights and silent tears, we must do more than simply speak. We must build. We must reach out. We must respond. Because true awareness does not end with posts and pledges. It begins when we actively reach out and let our compassion be truly felt, not performative.
The caregiver deserves care
We often call motherhood a blessing, and it is— but blessings can be heavy. They can leave marks no eyes can see and cast shadows no light can illuminate. The truth is, the strongest woman can unravel and the warmest smiles can grow tired. This May, and every month after, may we choose to see the unseen. May we offer mothers the grace they so freely give. And may we remember: the caregiver deserves care as well— not after the breakdown, not when it’s too late, but from the very beginning.
