Information and Resources For Health Visitors and Healthcare Professionals

Guidance on Post Natal Depression

Health Visitors and their teams are responsible not only for providing support and guidance on the physical health and well being of adults, babies and children, but also for their psychological health.
In some areas of the county we have seen a rise in the incidence of Postnatal Depression (PND). Research has been reporting for many years that it is as high as 15% among parents. However, I am sure we will all agree that in some of our areas, the incidence is in fact lot higher.
As well as this mental ill health being so debilitating and sole destroying for those sufferers and their families, it also is still seen as a social stigma. Sufferers are made to feel guilty and ashamed of how they feel, some are not even aware why they are feeling this way. Why can we not accept that PND has as much right to be discussed and accepted as postnatal infection or baby colic? After all, it can happen to anyone, even fathers are experiencing it!

Most Health Visiting teams, Midwives and others are now discussing PND at their parenthood groups and this has helped to raise the profile of PND. However, more could be done particularly from the governments and the media’s point of view. Advertising campaigns and media reporting as well as Mental Health planners could do more.

Here, we have compiled a mental health check list that can be handed out at baby clinics, given out and discussed at home visits or parenthood groups. Parents can look over the feelings checklist, which will help them recognise that they are in need of help. We also hope that handing these tools out and freely discussing them, we are helping to breakdown the social stigmas attached to suffering from PND. Please Click here for the mental health check list

Back to health visitors home page