Useful Links
Acacia Family Support
07869 100499
Acacia provides telephone support and a weekly befriending service for mothers and their families affected by pre or post natal depression across North Birmingham.
The Archives of Women’s Mental Health
www.springerlink.com/content/101813
An academic journal devoted to women’s mental health.
Association for Improvements in the Maternity Services (AIMS)
Emotional support and encouragement as well as information about choices and rights.
Association for Postnatal Illness
Network of volunteers who have suffered from postnatal illness and offer information and support.
Babycentre
Provides information, expert advice and friendly support for parents and parents to be.
Beacon of Hope
Dedicated to men and women who are partners of someone diagnosed with a severe mental illness.
BEPCymru
BEPCymru is an exciting new group education programme for people living in Wales, which aims to improve participants’ understanding of bipolar disorder and also aims to provide benefits in terms of quality of life and experience of symptoms.
BDRN
The Bipolar Disorder Research Network is a group of researchers and research participants in the UK undertaking a major study aimed at investigating the underlying causes of bipolar disorder. Working with collaborators in Europe and the USA it is the largest study of bipolar disorder in the world.
Birth Trauma Association
www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk
The Birth Trauma Association supports all women who have had a traumatic birth experience and wants women to know that they are not alone. The BTA offers emotional and practical support to women and their families.
Depression Alliance
Information, advice and local support groups for men and women suffering from depression.
Depression Alliance Perinatal Helpline
020 8768 0123 – Monday to Friday: 7pm-10pm
Helpline staffed by trained volunteers who offer support and information to mothers experiencing depression or anxiety related to pregnancy and to their partners, family and friends.
Elaine Hanzak
Help and advice for people with postnatal depression and their loved ones.
Gingerbread
Adviceline: 0800 018 4318
Association for one-parent families. Local groups offer support, friendship, advice and practical help.
MAMA (Meet-A-Mum Association)
0845 120 6162
Helpline: 0845 120 3746: 7pm-10pm weekdays only
Provides friendship and support to mothers and mothers-to-be who are lonely or isolated after the birth of a baby or moving to a new area. Over 70 groups across the UK. Also supports women and families through postnatal illness with the helpline and provides publications (including a leaflet about puerperal psychosis).
MDF The Bipolar Organisation
020 7793 2600
MDF is a national user-led organisation for people whose lives are affected by bipolar disorder. It aims to enable people affected by bipolar to take control of their lives through the services offered to members, including self help groups, information and publications, employment advice, self management training programme. There is a national network of support groups.
Marce Society
Organisation that aims to raise awareness of perinatal mental health issues amongst health professionals and members of the public.
Maternity Action
020 7281 7816
Maternity Action works to end inequality and promote the health and well-being of all pregnant
women, their partners and children from before conception through to the child’s early years. They
also provide web-based information on employment rights and benefits.
Mind
Mindinfoline: 0845 766 0163
Legal advice service: 0845 225 9393
legal@mind.org.uk
Mental health charity covering England and Wales which provides high-quality information and advice, publishes and sells many useful publications and campaigns to promote and protect good mental health for everyone. Local Mind associations, which are all separate charities, offer many services including supported housing, crisis help lines, drop-in centres, counselling, befriending, advocacy employment and training schemes around the country – details can be found on the Mind website. The information and legal advice service offers confidential help on mental health problems and all aspects of treatment and the law.
Mumsnet
National Childbirth Trust
www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com
020 7992 8637
NCT has a network of local branches concerned with antenatal and postnatal support. Some branches run support groups.
National Electronic Library for Mental Health (NeLMH)
www.mhhe.heacademy.ac.uk/links/national-electronic-library-for-mental-health-nelmh
NeLMH is one of the first virtual branch libraries of the National electronic Library for Health, a new initiative announced in the Government’s Information for Health Strategy. The aim is to offer a searchable database of quality information.
Need2Know Books
www.need2knowbooks.co.uk
Need2Know Books publish self help and essential guide books for young people, parents, teachers and professionals. Their latest title includes Postnatal Depression – The Essential Guide. Written by someone with first-hand experience of postnatal depression, this book aims to be authoritative, comforting and hopefuly. Click here for details.
Netmums
Information and get local support from other mums.
NHS Direct
0845 4647
24 hour nurse-led helpline providing health advice.
Omni
This page links to some of the MEDLINE services that are currently available over the internet. Medline is a database of medical research articles. By searching it you can obtain details and summaries of medical research articles. (If you do make a search, bear in mind that many non UK articles refer to postpartum, rather than puerperal, psychosis).
Online PPD Support Group
This is a site run by women who have suffered from post-natal illness.
Parentline Plus
Helpline: 0808 800 222
Offers support, courses and information to anyone raising a child, including giving advice on coping with a new baby.
PND Training
Training in postnatal depression and perinatal mental health issues
Pendulum
Bipolar Disorders portal – extensive site with a lot of useful information.
PNI Org UK
An information site for sufferers and survivors of post natal illness.
Postpartum Dads
www.home.comcast.net/~ddklinker/mysite2/Welcome_page.htm
Website for fathers whose partners are suffering from postnatal depression.
Postpartum Progress
The most widely read blog on perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, including postnatal depression and psychosis.
Postpartum Support International
An international network that links volunteers, support groups, and professionals, particularly strong in the US. Site contains a lot of useful information, contacts around the world and links to a penpal network for incarcerated women.
Rethink
Advice Line: 020 8974 6814
Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness to recover a better quality of life.
SANE/SANELINE
SANELINE: 0845 767 8000 – 12pm-2am, every day including Christmas day
SANELINE is staffed by volunteers who have access to SANELINE’s unique computer database.
University of Birmingham Mood Disorders Research Group
www.clinexpmed.bham.ac.uk/research/mood-disorders.shtml
Research group with an interest in depression, manic depression and postnatal mental health.
University of Cardiff Mood Disorders Research Group
Research group with an interest in depression, manic depression and postnatal mental health.