Perinatal mental health illness affects 1 in 10 women but many new mums don’t receive the treatment they need. How are we tackling this issue and how can you help?
You can’t necessarily tell that someone is suffering from postnatal depression, postpartum psychosis or post-traumatic stress disorder just by looking at them.
These conditions don’t come with spots, a high temperature, a rash or swelling. They are hidden illnesses that often go undetected and untreated.
Perinatal mental illness is thought to affect around 1 in 10 women during pregnancy or in the first year following childbirth. But we don’t really know the full extent of it because, so often, it is hidden.
In 2015, NCT surveyed new parents and discovered some startling statistics.
Almost a third of women (29%) said their GP did not ask them about any emotional or mental health issues at their six-week postnatal check.
With appointments typically lasting less than 10 minutes, some women said they wanted to talk about how they were feeling but felt there wasn’t time.
The research also found that 22% of women admitted they were not truthful during the appointment but put on a brave face to hide how they really felt.
If problems go undetected, many parents will struggle on without support. As well as delaying getting the help they need and recovering themselves, it can affect a parent’s relationship with their baby and impact on their partner and any other children.
Mental health problems that aren’t tackled early on can become worse. Occasionally, it becomes severe and can lead to suicide – this is one of the leading causes of maternal death today.
It takes time and skill to make sure a parent who’s suffering from mental health issues gets the support and treatment they need. We know that we don’t have adequate mental health services to cope with this growing problem. We want to change this.
We’re exploring how the healthcare system could be changed to cut delays in diagnosis and referral when it comes to mental health problems among new parents. We’re keen to hear your ideas and suggestions.
If you have a story to share, any views on how things could be improved or any examples of really good services, please get in touch: email mailto:campaigns@nct.org.uk or call Vicky Fobel, Public Affairs & Campaigns Officer, on 020 8752 9193 (during office hours).
We’ll keep you updated on this campaign over the coming months.
