I Seek Help « PIMHA

If you’ve come to this page, you may be worried that you or someone you care about is suffering from a perinatal mood or anxiety disorder such as postpartum depression. It can be very confusing, challenging and even painful to watch your spouse, family member or friend react to becoming a parent in ways that you didn’t expect.

Please know that the person with depression or anxiety is not to blame for this illness and they are just as surprised by what is happening as you are.

Thankfully, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can be temporary and treatable with support and professional help. In this section, we hope to offer you some tools that will help you support the person who is struggling, and also help you get through this difficult time.

In case of an emergency

PIMHA is not a crisis hotline and does not handle emergencies. People in crisis should speak to their Family Doctor, the local Emergency on 112, or the Mental Health Helpline on 1579.

Call our Helpline

We’re here when you need us. Call our helpline number at 7970 1767 between Monday to Friday 8am-4pm to speak with a trained and caring professional. They will listen, answer questions, offer encouragement and connect you with local resources as needed.

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Local services

PIMHA works very closely with the Perinatal Mental Health Clinic based at Mater Dei Hospital, which provides specialised care for women who are experiencing a range of mental health problems during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. The team is multidisciplinary and cares for women with a range of common perinatal mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and also other more severe mental health conditions such as bipolar affective disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia. It also offers pre conception counselling for women with severe or complex mental illness who are planning a pregnancy. Generally, mothers are referred to the clinic by their midwife, GP or Obstetrician however the mother can also self refer.

What does the service provide?

This service offers specialised care and treatment including:

Assessment and diagnosis of a range of mental health difficulties presenting during pregnancy and in the first year postpartum.
Advice on appropriate and reproductively safe medications in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Specialised psychological therapies.
Promotion and support of early mother-infant relationship and attachment during the mother’s recovery journey.
Provision of professional advice to others involved in your care such as immediate family, significant others, carers and other professionals.
Preconception counselling for women with diagnosis of moderate to severe mental illness who are planning to get pregnant and are/are not on psychiatric treatment.

What is perinatal mental health?

Perinatal mental illness refers to any mental health condition affecting the mood, behaviour, wellbeing and/or daily functioning of an expecting or new parent. The term ‘perinatal’ refers to the time from conception and pregnancy through to the first year after birth. “Antenatal’ refers to the pregnancy period up until the birth. ‘Postnatal’ refers to the first year after birth.

1 in 5 expecting or new mothers and 1 in 10 expecting or new fathers will experience perinatal anxiety and/or depression symptoms. Other perinatal mental illnesses like postnatal psychosis are less common than anxiety or depression, but all perinatal mental illnesses respond well to treatment and there’s strong hope for recovery. Left untreated, perinatal mental illnesses can have long lasting impact on parents, partners, babies and families, and therefore timely detection and treatment is fundamental.

Key to the early access of effective mental health support is to be able to recognise the signs of not coping and to find the courage to ask for help.

Research

Depression During Pregnancy & Postpartum

Someone with PPD might experience feelings of anger, sadness, irritability, guilt, lack of interest in the baby, changes in eating and sleeping habits, trouble concentrating, thoughts of hopelessness and sometimes even thoughts of harming the baby or themselves.

Where to Seek Help

Anxiety During Pregnancy & Postpartum

Somenone with PPA may experience extreme worries and fears, often over the health and safety of the baby. Some people have panic attacks and might feel shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, a feeling of losing control, and numbness and tingling.

Pregnancy or Postpartum (OCD)

Someone with PPOCD can have repetitive, upsetting and unwanted thoughts or mental images (obsessions), and sometimes they need to do certain things over and over (compulsions) to reduce the anxiety caused by those thoughts. These individuals find these thoughts very scary and unusual and are very likely to ever act on them.

Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

PPTSD is often caused by a traumatic or frightening childbirth or past trauma, and symptoms may include flashbacks of the trauma with feelings of anxiety and the need to avoid things related to that event.

Bipolar Mood Disorders

Many people are diagnosed for the first time with bipolar depression or mania during pregnancy or postpartum. Bipolar mood disorder can appear as a severe depression; individuals may need informed evaluation and follow-up on past and current mood changes and cycles to assess whether there is a bipolar dynamic.

Postpartum Psychosis

PPP sufferers sometimes see and hear voices or images that others can't, called hallucinations. They may believe things that aren't true and distrust those around them. They may also have periods of confusion and memory loss, and seem manic. This severe condition is dangerous so it is important to seek help immediately.

Remember

We are glad you are here. We want you to know you are not alone and you are not to blame. Help is available. You will get better.