General
Bengaluru: It is often said it takes a village to raise a child. However, as the concept of family and society begins to change, the idea of the “villages” that parents require is also evolving.Experts on Saturday, the first day of Manotsava, the national mental health festival organised by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, Nimhans, and National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), elaborated on how the traditional and cultural concept of the “village” is now changing to virtual communities of parents. Dr Prabha Chandra, professor and head of psychiatry, Nimhans, during a panel discussion titled Maternal Health, Unfiltered: Strain, Stories, and Studies, elaborated on matrescence — the physical, psychological, and emotional changes during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum — which trigger brain changes similar to those in adolescence.
She explained this makes women more vulnerable to depression and other mental health challenges.
“When we conduct cognitive tests, mothers often perform worse at home than in labs,” she said. She noted it shows the stress they face daily, often intensified by those around them.
Poornima Mahindru, clinical psychologist at The Green Oak Initiative, spoke about how cultural expectations, which could act as buffers to mothers, can also create guilt and frustration.
“In migrant-heavy cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai, women have to navigate the nuances of motherhood by themselves. With nobody around to validate, they also end up in dilemmas and conflicts about what they have to do, which could also lead to mental health challenges,” she said.Modern motherhood often depends on consciously built “villages” comprising online communities or professional caregivers. “I don’t think that many of our children are growing up with their grandparents now. But there’s been a welcome change as we are choosing our own villages now, even if it’s sometimes a paid village (caregivers). The communities of mothers have also gone virtual now, and they offer a lot of support and experience,” said Bakul Dua, clinical psychologist, Mommy Mix Tape.Dr Chandra shared the govt is also recognising the role of these virtual networks. “The Prime Minister’s Office recently reached out to explore virtual interventions for communities of mothers, especially in rural areas,” she said.