Millions of women across the UK are being denied vital NHS care to help them cope with mental health problems triggered by pregnancy and childbirth, doctors say. The lack of services is so acute that women could end up taking their own lives because they do not receive help, according to the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA) of medical groups and childbirth campaigners. “The lack of provision of perinatal mental health services in some parts of the UK is scandalous,” said Dr Alain Gregoire, the alliance’s chair. According to their findings, 62 of the 235 NHS health board or clinical commissioning group areas across the UK – 26.3% – offer women no help whatsoever from dedicated perinatal personnel, including specialist psychiatrists and nurses. “When women are pregnant, or just after birth, they are in the period of life when they are most likely to develop a mental health problem.

Source: The Guardian April 18, 2018 22:52 UTC