More new mothers seek mental health treatment

Record numbers of new mothers and pregnant women are seeking NHS mental health treatment for conditions including a fear of childbirth and postnatal depression.

New data shows 64,000 women in England accessed specialist NHS maternal mental health services in the past year, demand rising by 10 per cent compared with 2023.

Women with problems including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following birth are offered counselling, peer support or medication from a team of staff including psychiatrists and therapists.

The NHS said the services were “life-saving”, as suicide is the leading cause of death in women in the year after birth, adding that it was vital new mothers did not “suffer in silence”.

One in four women experience mental health problems during pregnancy or after birth, known as the perinatal period. Over the past decade the NHS has established a network of 41 perinatal mental health services, amid rising awareness of the impact of birth trauma.

The services now cover every area of England and provide help to about 10 per cent of women who give birth each year. Women can access the services themselves or be referred by GPs, obstetricians, midwives or concerned family members.

Linzi Barnes, who manages the NHS perinatal mental health service in Hertfordshire, said: “We have an active caseload of about 1,000 women. Pregnancy is a time when mental health problems can emerge for the first time. Pre and postnatal anxiety, depression and OCD are probably the most common presentations that we would see.”

• NHS neglecting menopause care, says coroner after teacher’s suicide

The team provides care and support for women who have developed PTSD after traumatic births and for pregnant women suffering a severe fear of childbirth, also known as tokophobia.

In “emergency situations” such as post-partum psychosis — which affects one in 1,000 women and can cause hallucinations — the team see women within four hours of a referral because of the “very quick deterioration in mental health and the risk to them and their baby”.

As well as helping women who have developed mental illnesses for the first time, the service provides support to women with pre-existing problems who are hoping to get pregnant.

Barnes said: “If there’s women with a serious mental illness — for example, bipolar or schizophrenia — they can have an appointment with one of our doctors prior to getting pregnant so they can talk about how that might progress, and adjust medications.

“It is a prevention model. We have them under the care of the team, they’re monitored closely and hopefully they stay well during their pregnancy and into the postnatal period.”

• One in six maternity units closed in past decade

Eleni McDowell was referred to the Hertfordshire service in 2020 while 20 weeks pregnant with her daughter, after developing depression. “I basically was a shell of myself. My husband said to me, ‘Where’s my Eleni gone?’ It was like I had disappeared.” She received help during and after pregnancy, including therapy and parent-infant classes to help her bond with her daughter, and soon “began to feel like myself again”.

After using the service, McDowell trained as a peer support worker and now works at the Hertfordshire service to help other women, running support groups. Often, by sharing experiences, women realise “there is no judgment” and that they do not have to keep up a pretence that it should be “the happiest time of their lives”.

McDowell said: “Motherhood is hard, and this is what comes out a lot in the groups. Nothing tells us how hard it is. I was certainly one of those women that had to pretend I was happy when I wasn’t.”

Claire Murdoch urged women to seek help and not to suffer in silence

Claire Murdoch, NHS England’s national mental health director, said: “Pregnancy and motherhood are incredibly special times, but they can also be deeply challenging. Our specialist perinatal mental health teams, which include psychologists, peer support workers and midwives, support women facing a range of difficulties — from prenatal anxiety and birth trauma to severe conditions like postnatal psychosis.

“With suicide still one of the leading causes of maternal death, their work is life-saving. I don’t want any woman to suffer in silence or feel stigmatised.”

Under NHS guidelines, all women are offered a full mental and physical health check-up from their GP within six weeks of giving birth.

Kate Brintworth, chief midwifery officer for England, said: “Having a baby is a very important and special time for families but for many women it can also be a time where their mental health can be affected. It can be hard to seek help but perinatal services really understand what this can be like and want to help.

“If left untreated, mental health problems can get worse and have an impact on the whole family. That’s why it’s really pleasing to see women accessing the mental health support they need, as it’s vitally important they know they are not alone and there are people to help them and their baby have the best start.”

For confidential support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or samaritans.org