It's now post-nuptial depression for Kate, Will

Gossip mills in the champagne circuit in the UK are abuzz with news of the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton going through a phase of extreme low after the most high-profile wedding of our times which was telecast live the world over.
Given the burden of expectations on her — as she prepares to take up the role left by late princess Diana — it cannot be easy for her to always wear that perfect smile.
Kate isn’t the only one. Research shows that many brides go through Post-Nuptial Depression (PND). Rashi Sinha, an architect, got married to her beau after five years of courtship recently. The wedding was everything that she had thought it would be — fun, lavish, happy and full of memorable moments to cherish. But a month since her big day, the story seems to be quite different. “I’ve become the most high strung person ever. My eyes well up at the slightest of problems and I’ve never felt this low ever in my life,” she says.
The adjustment she has to make living with her in-laws are taking a lot out of her. Psycho-
logists, especially in urban India, say that cases of women feeling the blues right after their wedding is not new. We’ve always heard of the honeymoon period that got over too soon for some. But now, women are increasingly seeking help for PND.
A research by an American psychologist recently found that 100 per cent couples seek counselling suffering from symptoms including remorse, sadness or frustration. Meanwhile, relationship experts believe that the wedding blues hit a similar proportion of Britain’s 275,000 brides each year. The scene in India gets even more complicated. Given our traditional home structure clashing with the new nuclear family generation, it wouldn’t be far fetched if the figures of PND cases were even higher.
Says psychologist Seema Hingorrany, “PND cases are definitely on the rise. These days women get married in their 30’s, even 40’s. By that time they have a set mindset and the whole idea of adjusting with in-laws doesn’t go down well with them.” Several studies in the last couple of years all over the world have revealed that most urban divorces happen within two years of marriage.
“A fundamental change like sharing space with a new family can affect one’s psyche,” says Hingorrany adding that after a short period of high — as is experienced in most big, fat, Indian weddings — it’s only natural for the women to feel a greater low. Psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty cites two broad reasons for the rise in PND cases of late. “After moving into a new house, adjustment takes a lot out of them. Secondly, there are more cross-cultural weddings now. Adjusting not only to a new house but a new culture, different food habits... all take a toll. And then comes sharing the kitchen and probably bathrooms and living space. Given Mumbai’s space problem and distances, all the added tension can snap something deep within in a very short time.”