Postpartum psychosis (PP) is a severe perinatal mental illness affecting 1-2 in 1,000 births in the UK annually. APP’s dads/co-parents & grandparents projects, part of our national peer support service, aims to support & improve the mental health of women who experience PP & their family members.
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
For the families of women who have had PP, the experience can be bewildering, frightening & often lonely, especially in the acute phase when a mother is hospitalised. Partners are left shocked by the sudden onset of a rarely discussed condition, having to manage concern for their loved one’s care, finances & older siblings, looking after a newborn if the mother is being cared for in a general psychiatric ward or separation from their partner & baby if care is received in a Mother & Baby Unit.
Solution
APP runs dedicated groups providing peer support & information. Dads/co-parents & grandparents are connected with trained volunteers who have ‘been there’, via 1:1 phone, video call or email support from a trained volunteers. Our group video calls are supportive & informal meetups for partners & grandparents to meet others, share what helped them and their family and provide a friendly ear. We have an online forum where anyone can anonymously ask questions and receive non judgmental support.
