On the mental health effects of miscarriages, and how to alleviate them

Though one out of four expectant couples experiences a miscarriage, there are still many misconceptions about them. If you have never faced a miscarriage, you may be surprised to find out that they leave behind long-lasting effects. After a miscarriage, the mental health of one or both members of a couple may suffer greatly. The couple may deal with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or psychosis. This article will educate you on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of the psychological states that miscarriages may invoke.

Depression and anxiety

Every person experiences short-term sadness that lasts for days, but a depressed person experiences long-term sadness that may last for long stretches, even the rest of their life. Even if they have a successful pregnancy later, most couples who experience a miscarriage miss the child they never got to meet. A couple’s grief can be so great that it disrupts their sleeping, eating, and enjoyment, and they may even become unable to take care of themselves. These painful emotions can be partially eased with treatments ranging from exercise to antidepressant medication.

While it is common for a couple to experience depression after a miscarriage, it is even more common for them to experience anxiety. Anxious people have intense fears that they attempt to relieve with maladaptive behaviors. Couples may be extremely scared that their first miscarriage is not their last, then try to ignore the stressor by not seeking help. Couples that are uncomfortable with reaching out to others can reduce their anxiety through mindfulness meditation.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that is caused by memories of a person’s life being threatened. After a miscarriage, a couple may recall moments when their child struggled to survive. The couple’s flashbacks may be so detailed that they feel like they are reliving them in their minds. The couple may not even be able to escape them in their sleep, leading to insomnia. Diagnosed couples can mentally reexperience their miscarriage for periods longer than a month. Post-traumatic stress disorder traps parents in the past.

A couple can cope with their miscarriage and post-traumatic stress disorder through SSRI medication and exposure therapy. A person, place, or thing that a couple associates with their miscarriage can activate their fight-or-flight response and cause panic attacks. SSRI medication that raises serotonin can make the couple feel secure in their surroundings and reduce their need for their fight-or-flight response. An exposure therapist can train the couple to calm their fight-or-flight response when it actually flares up. A couple’s post-traumatic stress disorder does not have to be permanent.

Psychosis

A miscarriage may make a woman feel so stressed that she struggles to process it. The miscarriage and stress may induce the woman with psychosis, a state of distorted reality. Psychosis may cause the woman to think delusional thoughts; for instance, she may speculate that her partner is secretly happy that she miscarried. Psychosis may also cause the woman to see and hear hallucinations; she may look at her body and spot signs that she is still pregnant. These perceptual inconsistencies may make mothers feel isolated and confused.

Mothers can feel grounded again by informing themselves and communicating with others. Women with and without children can read this resource to learn how they entered and can exit psychosis. Their partners can show them support by reading one as well. Together, couples can successfully work through psychosis with advice from others that already have. A miscarriage and psychosis can threaten a relationship, but they do not have to lead to its termination.

A miscarriage is the loss of a pregnancy, but it may also cause couples to lose themselves. Couples that have intense grief and fear may develop depression and anxiety with maladaptive behaviors. Other couples that have vivid traumatic memories may develop post-traumatic stress disorder with insomnia and panic attacks. Furthermore, couples that have extreme stress may develop psychosis with hallucinations and delusions. A miscarriage and poor mental health are tough challenges, but couples can start working towards recovery by following the treatments touched on above.

— Madison Kemp