Does motherhood drive you mad?
An Institute of Ideas and SPIT-LIT discussion meeting. According to 'experts', growing numbers of women are traumatised by childbirth and are not capable of child-rearing without professional help. Studies suggest antenatal and postnatal depression are reaching record levels. Some psychiatrists now diagnose 'Tokophobia', a terrible fear of childbirth, as a new mental illness. Some feminists have drawn attention to this apparent epidemic of mental illness to emphasise the great difficulties women now face as mothers. Policy-makers and health promotion professionals conclude that it is harder than ever to be a parent. Meanwhile, government initiatives, such as Surestart, warn us that children's early years are a key point in their development. If mothers mess up in the first two years, their children will be damaged.