Alice's Inquest Verdict
The verdict from the inquest into the death of Alice Gibson-Watt makes for difficult reading and our thoughts and hearts are with the Gibson-Watt family at this dreadful time.
Postpartum Psychosis is a shocking and severe illness and much more must be done to prevent such tragedies. More research is needed to understand the causes; more must be done to inform and support families; more awareness, high quality training, more funding, more compassion and understanding is needed.
The BBC spoke to Anthony, the widower of Alice Gibson-Watt. He said "I had no idea about postpartum psychosis". Watch here.
We thank Alice’s friends, family, and workplaces for their support of APP in memory of Alice, raising funds to help us provide information, peer support, training, conduct research, campaign for better awareness, understanding, and specialist services for all who need it.
Our volunteers feel this loss terribly. Many know that this story could also have been theirs. We are passionately committed to working in all the areas needed to prevent tragedies occurring caused by this severe, distressing, but treatable postpartum mental illness, which affects around 1-2 in every 1000 families after childbirth. For most women and families, the outcome is positive and families recover, but the reality is that mental illness and suicide are still a leading cause of maternal death.