Understanding perinatal mental health
Perinatal mental health problems affect up to 27% of new and expectant mums. Women may have a mental health problem when they become pregnant or may develop mental health problems for the first time, during pregnancy or in the postnatal period. Perinatal mental health problems can often be undiagnosed or untreated due to fear or stigma of accessing help.
Most women expect to feel happy about their pregnancy or their new baby but it’s natural to feel anxious, sad or frustrated. These difficulties can affect the bonding between mum and baby as well as the partner’s mental health and impact the wider family network.
Specialist services such as the Community Perinatal Team offer evidence-based interventions to support women and their families at this critical time.
Perinatal OCD | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)
Postnatal depression | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)
Postnatal depression key facts | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)
Postpartum psychosis | Royal College of Psychiatrists (rcpsych.ac.uk)
bumps - best use of medicine in pregnancy (medicinesinpregnancy.org)
Postnatal PTSD and birth trauma - Mind
Eating disorders in pregnancy | Tommy's (tommys.org)
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