February 3, 2018

The Campaign

World Maternal Mental Health Day

#maternalMHmatters #worldMMHday

Raising awareness of maternal mental health issues so that more women will get treatment and fewer will suffer.

Since 2016 a multidisciplinary group of international maternal mental health activists, academics, clinicians and people with lived experience are coming together once a year to raise awareness of this ever topic to demand maternal mental health services for all.

This year, we continue the tradition to celebrate World Maternal Mental Health day on the first Wednesday of the month on 1 May 2024.  

Key messages:

Maternal mental health matters. #maternalMHmatters #worldMMHday
Women, as well as their family and friends, need to know the signs of maternal mental ill-health and that they are not alone! They can find help and support for perinatal mental health problems.

How to get involved?

There are many ways to speak out and support this campaign outlined here

Background

A small group of people met in late 2015 to start making plans for the first-ever World Maternal Mental Health Day. The group decided that the event should be held each year on the first Wednesday of May, close to “Mother’s Day” and “Mental Health Week” in many countries.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of maternal mental health issues so that more women will get treatment and fewer will suffer.

Our key messages are:

  • Maternal mental health matters. #maternalMHmatters.
  • Women, as well as their family and friends, need to know the signs of maternal mental ill-health and that they are not alone!
  • You can find help and support for perinatal mental health problems.

Before long the steering committee had grown to include representatives from around the globe, all with a common goal of increasing awareness of maternal mental health issues.

Steering Committee Members:

Center of Perinatal Excellence, Australia

Materna Salud Mental Perinatal, Argentina

Marce Gesellschaft, Germany

Maternal Mental Health Alliance, United Kingdom

Maternal Mental Health Awareness Alliance, Bakirkoy Women Mental Health Center, Turkey

Maternal Wellness Clinic, Canada

Postpartum Support International, USA

Mother First, Canada

Perinatal Mental Health Project, South Africa

Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa (PADA), New Zealand

Postpartum Support Network (PSN), Nigeria

Reproductive Mental Health Programme, Canada

Sociedad Marce Espanola (Mares), Spain

The Marce Society for Perinatal Mental Health, International