Support New Mothers With Mental Ill Health | Letter

Every day, galore caller mothers proceed to suffer successful silence, arsenic highlighted successful your article (Seven retired of 10 UK mothers consciousness overloaded, investigation reveals, 28 January). The Royal College of Psychiatrists revealed postnatal slump harmed up to 85,000 caller mums successful England past year.

Maternal termination is 1 of nan starring causes of decease among women betwixt six weeks and a twelvemonth aft birth. Perinatal intelligence unwellness accounts for 34% of each deaths successful this group during this period. Untreated prenatal and antenatal intelligence unwellness besides affects unborn infants, perchance putting them astatine consequence of premature commencement and debased commencement weight. Parents whitethorn find it difficult to enslaved pinch their babe erstwhile they are born, which tin lend to attachment issues.

This should not beryllium happening – and pinch nan correct support, it tin beryllium prevented and treated. Mothers and their partners must not beryllium near to suffer successful soundlessness and should beryllium encouraged to activity thief erstwhile they’re experiencing intelligence sick health. An attack that takes into relationship a person’s biologic needs, psychological authorities and societal business is astir effective.
Dr Livia Martucci
Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists’ perinatal faculty, London