Life altering moments like pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood can be stressful for women and their partners. As a result, women may undergo a period of poor mental health or witness a worsening of previous mental health conditions.
Almost 1 in 5 women will experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after the birth. Among women with perinatal mental health conditions, 20% will experience suicidal thoughts or undertake acts of self-harm. Ignoring mental health not only risks women’s overall health and well-being, but also impacts infants’ physical and emotional development.
The importance of screening, diagnosis and management of PMH conditions into maternal and child health (MCH) services has been highlighted in the , the and the .
This new provides the best available information aimed at supporting MCH providers in identifying symptoms of mental health problems and responding in a way that is adapted to their local and cultural context. The guide provides an evidence-informed approach for planning integration of perinatal mental healthcare into MCH services and assessing its impact. Effective integration requires for example a core team responsible for overseeing the integration, a situation analysis and needs assessment to identify a feasible package of interventions that meet women’s needs during the perinatal period, and adequate training and supervision of workforce to deliver services.
MCH services during the perinatal period represent a unique opportunity to support women in a respectful and stigma-free environment, leading to increased attendance and better engagement in care for women and their babies and to greater well-being and advancement of society.
