World Maternal Mental Health Day - 1 May 2024

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About

World Maternal Mental Health Day
Go to Why we need MMH day

Why we need MMH day

Helping mothers, helping babies!
In many countries, as many as 1 in 5 new mothers experiences some type of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMADs). These illnesses frequently go unnoticed and untreated, often with tragic and long-term consequences to both mother and child.

Go to Raising awareness

Raising awareness

No one is immune!
Women of every culture, age, income level and race can develop perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Symptoms can appear any time during pregnancy and the first 12 months after childbirth. There are effective and well-researched treatment options available to help women recover.

Go to Influencing policy

Influencing policy

Illness is not a crime!
Women are sometimes considered to be criminals instead of patients needing treatment, in the case of infanticide. Through building awareness, it aims to prevent these tragedies and stands for just and scientifically based care.
Go to Changing attitude

Changing attitude

No health without mental health!
Increasing awareness will drive social change with a goal toward improving the quality of care for women experiencing all types of PMADs, and reducing the stigma of maternal mental illness. We are encouraging mental health professionals, friends and relatives of new moms to ask her how she’s really feeling and encourage her to seek help.

MMH in global perspective

Did you know?
Why Maternal Mental Health Should be a Priority

World Maternal Mental Health Day draws attention to essential mental health concerns for mothers and families. Life changes around pregnancy make women more vulnerable to mental illness. The negative cycle of poverty and mental illness impact on a woman’s ability to function and thrive. This may also directly affect her foetus or child, with long-lasting physical, cognitive and emotional outcomes. Mental health care provides the necessary support to empower women to identify resources and personal capabilities. This can enhance their resilience to difficult life circumstances and support them to nurture their children optimally. Caring for mothers is a positive intervention for long-term social development.

  • Worldwide, as many as 1 in 5 women experience some type of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder (PMAD). Statistics vary by country, but this is a worldwide concern. PMADs include postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum bipolar, and postpartum psychosis.

  • Estimates are that 7 in 10 women hide or downplay their symptoms. Without understanding, support, and treatment these mental illnesses have a devastating impact on the women affected and on their partners and families.

  • Perinatal mood disorders affect the entire family. Many people don’t realize that about 1 in 10 dads develop depression during this time. An integrated approach to family mental health allows both parents to move beyond the postpartum period as a thriving family unit.

  • It is estimated that 20 – 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth. In addition to grief, many of these women also experience postpartum depression. Giving birth to a premature child, or having a child spend extended time in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, can also take a toll on maternal mental health.

MMH task force

Maternal Mental Health Advocates

Center of Perinatal Excellence

Australia
COPE connects, informs and empowers individuals to reduce the personal, social and economic impacts of perinatal mental health disorders in the community. We raise awareness and understanding of perinatal mental health and best practice, support professionals through innovation in screening and referral, and inform governments and health providers through advocacy and applied research.

MATERNA Salud Mental Perinatal

Argentina
Materna Salud Mental Perinatal Somos una organización Argentina que promueve la difusión, investigación, prevención y tratamiento de los problemas de salud mental que pueden afectar a las mujeres jóvenes y adultas en ocasión de embarazo, parto y puerperio. Funcionamos interdisciplinariamente psicólogos perinatales, psiquiatras perinatales y madres que han padecido algún problema de salud mental perinatal.

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Alliance

Turkey
Turkey Maternal Mental Health Awareness Alliance focuses on prevention, screening, improved treatment of pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders which affect approximately 14-36% of moms in Turkey. Coordinator: Prof.Dr.Nazan Aydın, Bakirkoy Women Mental Health Center

Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA)

UK
The Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) is a coalition comprising over eighty UK professional and patient organisations aiming to improve the mental health and wellbeing of women and their children in pregnancy and the first postnatal year.

Maternal Wellness Clinic

Canada
The Maternal Wellness Clinic assesses and treats women and men in Ontario who have perinatal psychiatric illnesses. We provide econsults on OTN. We offer evidence-based, holistic prevention and treatment strategies, including Interpersonal and Cognitive-behavioural therapies and medication management.

MotherFirst: Maternal Mental Health Strategy

Canada
The Maternal Mental Health Strategy was created in 2010 by a group of healthcare professionals, women, and government staff to improve screening, treatment, awareness, and policy in Saskatchewan, Canada. The first Maternal Mental Health Day was proclaimed in May, 2014.  Chair: Angela Bowen, RN PhD, University of Saskatchewan.

Perinatal Mental Health Project

South Africa
The Perinatal Mental Health Project in South Africa addresses the crisis of mental illness related to pregnancy among women living in adversity. We are based at the University of Cape Town and located within the Alan J Flisher Centre for Public Mental Health.

Postpartum Support International

USA
Postpartum Support International (PSI) provides direct peer support to families, trains professionals, and provides a bridge to connect them. PSI has volunteer coordinators throughout the United States and in 42 countries.

Postpartum Support Network

Nigeria
Postpartum Support Network (PSN) is set up to provide support for families and mothers suffering postpartum depression and related illnesses in Africa. PSN is leading an awareness campaign on postpartum depression in Nigeria, Educating mothers, and offering them FREE postpartum depression screening. PSN is also leading a research on the prevalence of PPD in Nigeria.

Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA)

New Zealand
To eliminate the stigma around perinatal mental health in New Zealand by championing awareness and facilitating best practice in perinatal mental health and wellbeing to ensure all families have access to appropriate information and support. PADA was formerly the Perinatal Mental Health New Zealand Trust (PMHNZ)

Reproductive Mental Health Programme

Canada
The BC Provincial RMH Program consists of a multidisciplinary team of specialized professionals with many years of clinical and research experience. We work with women and their families who are dealing with mental health challenges or disorders related to pregnancy, postpartum, pregnancy loss, and infertility.

Sociedad Marcé Espanola (MARES)

Spain
The Spanish Marcé Society (MARES) is a Regional Group of the International Marce Society. The society wants to promote, facilitate, and communicate about research into all aspects of the perinatal mental health in Spanish language being active in Spain and Latin America.

German Speaking Marcé Society

Germany
The German Marce Society is a regional group of the International Marce Society (IMS). We are active in 4 german speaking countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy ‪We support the same issues as the IMS on a local level and hold meetings in german language.

The International Marce Society

International
The Marce Society is so happy to support World Maternal Mental Health Day. It fits with our goal to promote, facilitate, and communicate about research that improves the mental health of women, their infants, and partners.

SOCIÉTÉ MARCÉ FRANCOPHONE

France
SMF vise l’amélioration de la compréhension, de la prévention et du traitement des troubles psychiques et relationnels liés à la puerpéralité et à leur retentissement dans le champ de la petite enfance. Ses objectifs : passage des connaissances, information, formation, recherche.

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