Symptoms of perinatal anxiety
There are many types of anxiety disorders. While the symptoms of perinatal anxiety disorders are different, women who have symptoms of an anxiety disorder may experience:
- anxiety or fear that interrupts thoughts and interferes with daily tasks
- panic attacks — outbursts of extreme fear and panic that are overwhelming and feel difficult to bring under control
- anxiety and worries that keep coming into the woman’s mind and are difficult to stop or control
- constantly feeling irritable, restless or “on edge”
- having tense muscles, a “tight” chest and heart palpitations
- finding it difficult to relax and/or taking a long time to fall asleep at night
- anxiety or fear that stops the woman going out with her baby
- anxiety or fear that leads the woman to check on her baby constantly.
The psychosocial question on “worrying” and Questions 3, 4 and 5 of the EPDS reflect some of these symptoms.
See also…
Assessing women for symptoms of anxiety disorders
Management of anxiety in the perinatal period