Improving maternal mental health care support is urgent, according to a new study by obstetricians.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists carried out a survey of more than 2,300 women who had given birth in the last five years across the UK.
This showed that the vast majority – 81% – had experienced at least one episode of a mental health problem during or after their pregnancy. More than two thirds had experienced low mood, half had experienced anxiety and just over a third depression.
However only 7% of the women who experienced a maternal mental health condition were referred to specialist care. 38% of the women who were referred it took more than four weeks to be seen with some waiting for up to a year.
The survey is published today (22 February) jointly with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.
Professor Lesley Regan of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said: "The NHS is letting down some of the most vulnerable women in our society. Currently the fragmentation of health care provision means that women face a number of challenges accessing the care they need.
"Access to specialist community perinatal mental health services is crucial and greater integration between primary and secondary care will ensure that women are referred in a timely manner."
Dr Alain Gregoire, of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance, added: "We know that suicide is a leading cause of maternal death, and that this represents the tip of an iceberg of suffering that has been ignored for too long.
"These women have reminded us that the health care responsibility and the economic necessity to take action, are joined by a moral imperative to put an end to these unacceptable levels of avoidable suffering."
Leave a Reply