APP launches new bereavement support web pages
Action on Postpartum Psychosis, the UK charity dedicated to supporting families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP), has launched new web resources to support individuals bereaved by the illness.
The resources, which are on the APP website, have been co-produced with academic experts, people with lived experience and third sector organisations which work with bereaved families.
The web pages include lived experience stories, information about postpartum psychosis and grief and guidance for supporting family members and children following bereavement. They also contain help with tasks after a bereavement, practical advice about financial support, inquests and investigations, coping with media interest, and ideas for remembrance.
APP’s bereavement support project responds to a long-standing gap in tailored support for bereaved families affected by PP. It has been made possible thanks to the Department of Health and Social Care’s Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund, which awarded grants to 79 charities across England, including APP, to support life-saving suicide prevention services.
Rich Baish, APP Development Manager, said:
“I lost my wife to postpartum psychosis in 2022, and this content is something I would have really benefited from at the time. The web pages have been designed for partners and families of mums who’ve lost their lives and offer support, advice and practical help as they cope with their loss, as well as resources for families reeling from the loss of a baby. APP’s new resources are so important in making sure bereaved families can find help and support quickly. We’ll keep developing this resource over time, so if you have content to contribute, please do get in touch. I have also found meeting other families who have been bereaved to be cathartic and I would really encourage people in similar positions to get in touch with our specialist peer support team.”
APP can now offer peer support to bereaved families via a small team of trained volunteers, made up of people who have each lost someone in their family, including husbands and partners, mothers, fathers and adults who lost their mothers because of PP when they were children.
Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of APP, said:
“We must emphasise that most women recover from PP. Whilst deaths resulting from PP are very rare in the UK, losing a loved one in this way is utterly devastating and isolating. We are delighted that APP now has a small community of bereaved families who can come together and offer support to other families reeling from this tragedy. Our volunteers say that being able to talk to someone in this way at the time of their bereavement would have been so helpful for them.”
APP is grateful to Suicide&Co, The Loss Foundation and Anna Wardley, Churchill Fellow, for their contributions and guidance during the development of the new web resources. The pages can be accessed here.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by bereavement related to PP you can find out more about APP’s peer support service here. If you would like to join our community or contribute to the resource, please do get in touch. Health professionals working with individuals and families can also signpost people to APP’s support.