It was 1997 when I got married to a man I didn’t know. I was a very naïve 23 year-old, and wasn’t ready for marriage. So, there was the shock of that and then the shock of marrying someone from a different culture who spoke a different language. Worse still, as the marriage progressed, he became abusive and controlling.
I fell pregnant quickly. My pregnancy was difficult – I didn’t put on much weight, I was sick all the way through and my husband’s abuse went up a gear. I turned to my mum and dad for support, and they were just amazing. With them by my side I was able to leave and I finally felt safe.
The final part of my pregnancy was more stable, although I did have a long and exhausting labour. My mum stayed with me throughout and, eventually, my beautiful daughter was born. I went home to Mum’s but, two days later, my husband turned up, banging on the door. I was holding my baby and he threatened me while she was in my arms. It was frightening and I think this was the trigger for my postpartum psychosis (PP).
I couldn’t sleep, I was too afraid to eat and I became extremely paranoid. After about five days of no food or sleep the hallucinations started. My younger brother tried to encourage me to eat, but the paranoia I was experiencing was too strong.
By this point I was in the midst of a psychotic episode and I didn’t trust any healthcare professionals, convinced that they were going to hurt my baby.
My family didn’t know what to do so my mum went to the doctors and asked for help. A couple of doctors came out to the house but they didn’t know what was wrong with me either. This was a time when there wasn’t much awareness of PP.
A family friend at the time was a nurse who suggested it might have something to do with giving birth so my dad took me to the mental health unit where I was voluntarily admitted. There was no Mother and Baby Unit at the time so I had to leave my baby at home in the care of my amazing sister who took time off work to look after her for me.
I was in the mental health unit for a total of three weeks. I remember when I first got there, still in the psychosis, I was confused as to where I was, and my superhero - my dad - would visit me every day, even though he wasn’t allowed in to see me, but he would just sit in the grounds to be close to me.
After I was discharged, my dad took all the family on holiday. He said we’d all been through so much we needed to get away. Tragically, whilst away, he suddenly died after being in a car accident. It was horrific. I had fully recovered by now, but feared I might relapse. I didn’t though. In fact, I haven’t experienced an episode of psychosis since.
I gained so much strength from my dad and in life he really helped me to recover.
Since then, I had another baby, a son, and after he was born I became a single mum again and have been ever since. When I was pregnant the second time I had a lot of healthcare support in the run up to the birth and I didn’t get unwell again. In fact, I’ve never had to have any mental health support since first having PP.
Driven by my own experience, I went back to college and retrained as a psychotherapist so I can help others who have experienced mental illness. I’ve also started volunteering for APP’s Muslim Women’s Support Group. There was so little awareness when I experienced PP that it took me 25 years to find peer support through APP – which I discovered after a Facebook ad popped up on my feed.
The Muslim Mum’s Cafe Group is so important on many levels, but what is particularly important for me is that, as human beings, and this goes back to the beginning of time, we’ve always lived in tribes.
And for a Muslim woman, because our experiences can be unique to our culture, finding other women who look like us, who sound like us and who have been through some of the things we have is invaluable.
There’s a huge cultural aspect to PP in my community and stigma is very much alive and well, so being visible and sharing my story is so important because many Muslim women still don’t seek help.
I know that having PP is a really scary time, but I want others to know that there is help out there, you’re not alone and the APP community is here for you. And, like me, you can recover.
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), the UK charity for families affected by postpartum psychosis, is hosting a free webinar for midwives and other frontline health professionals, aimed at helping to reduce the maternal suicide rate.
The Alex Baish Memorial Webinar is taking place on Wednesday 8th October at 12pm. APP experts, women and families with lived experience and clinicians will highlight the early signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis (PP) and discuss how health professionals can work with perinatal mental health teams to help prevent suicide, the leading cause of maternal death in the UK.
Postpartum psychosis affects 1,200 new mothers in the UK each year and more than140,000 women across the world (that’s around 1-2 in every 1,000 births). Symptoms include hallucinations, delusions, mania, depression and unusual behaviour and onset within days of childbirth, often to women with no previous mental health history. Symptoms can be frightening and escalate rapidly, and postpartum psychosis must be managed as a medical emergency for the safety of both mother and baby.
The webinar is now in its third year and is made possible thanks to fundraising by Rich Baish, along with his family and friends, in memory of his wife Alex who took her own life whilst unwell with PP. Since losing Alex, Rich has been working to ensure healthcare professionals, antenatal educators and expectant parents are made aware of the signs, symptoms and risks of PP, in the hope that no other families will have to go through what he has. Rich says:
There is the obvious tragedy of losing my wife, which is a scar that my family and I will bear forever. But there’s also another tragedy in the sense that because PP is a treatable illness, I now know that if signs were spotted and acted on quickly, she would still be with us today.
I want Alex to be remembered for all the right reasons; not just as the incredible teacher, daughter, wife and mum that she was, but as the reason why mothers in the future are treated for and saved from postpartum psychosis.
Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of APP, says:
With the right care, women recover from postpartum psychosis. With these free webinars, we hope to help prevent deaths due to postpartum psychosis and reduce some of the needless trauma families face as they develop the illness and seek care. If we can educate all professionals working on the frontline with new parents to know the risks, the signs and symptoms, how to get the right help, and to understand a bit about supporting families during this dreadful crisis, we know we can save lives.
This year’s webinar will be delivered in collaboration with The National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University (NCMH) and General Practitioners Championing Perinatal Mental Health Care (GPCPC). More than 6,400 health professionals have signed up in previous years. Of attendees, 93% rated the training as ‘excellent’; 7% rated it ‘good’ and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result:
Really well put together- the content, the speakers, the information sharing and all the research and evidence presented. This is exactly the type of training needed. The issue is too urgent to ignore and too desperate to not be passionate about.
This webinar was so powerful that I think this should be a mandatory training video for all working in perinatal.
Free places for the 8th October webinar can be booked here. You can show support by promoting the event with colleagues and networks. A webinar poster can be downloaded here.
We're very proud to have five runners representing APP in the iconic Great North Run this year. They've been training hard throughout the hot summer months, ready to take on the world's biggest half marathon on Sunday 7th September.
Meet our 2025 Great North Run Team:
Gemma and James
Siblings Gemma and James are no strangers to the Great North Run, having taken part in 2016. Now they're back, with the aim of beating their younger selves (and maybe even each other!)
Hoping to have a great time on the day, they're really looking forward to running together through their local area for a cause that means a lot to them.
Gemma says: 'I'm so proud to be running for APP and we're really excited about the day! It's nice to be running with my brother, we don't get to spend as much time together as I'd like so this is a good excuse! Everyone has been really generous with their donations - thank you!'
Debbie and Jo are experienced runners who have taken part in numerous events before, but this will be their first experience of the Great North Run.
Debbie encouraged her friend Jo to run with her for this event - knowing just how important the work is that APP does.
Debbie is Ward Manager at the Margaret Oates Mother and Baby Unit in Nottingham.
Debbie says: 'We would appreciate your support if you can to help raise funds for this amazing charity. As many of you know I work with women suffering a severe mental illness following childbirth and it is vital that our families are supported. Suicide remains the leading cause of maternal deaths in the first year post partum, but these illnesses are treatable and women recover. Supporting APP will help raise awareness of this illness.'
Thank you Debbie for all you do to support families, and to both you and Jo for taking on this challenge for APP.
Fiona is taking on her first ever Great North Run, inspired to take part and raise funds for APP by her good friend Laura (pictured together with Fiona on the left of the photo here).
Fiona says: 'I am running for my friend Laura who has had postpartum psychosis after both her children were born'.
As always, the Great North Run will be covered live on BBC TV so keep an eye out for our runners in their purple APP tops. And if you can be there in the North East in person, do give TeamAPP an extra big cheer as they run past!
Good luck to all our runners and thank you for taking on this amazing challenge for APP.
The Great North Run is a fantastic event to be part of, so if you're feeling inspired by our 2025 team, we will have places again next year - contact our fundraiser Fliss if you're interested in running for APP in 2026.
In the years since I gave birth I felt completely overwhelmed by shame and guilt – until I met someone else who had experienced postpartum psychosis (PP). Getting that peer support from APP helped me come to terms with what I had been through - and marked the first time I felt any degree of normality since giving birth.
I had been in hospital for almost a year after becoming unwell with PP. There were times when I honestly didn’t think I would get better. In fact, I think if I could have spoken to someone else who had been through it when I was in hospital I might have found hope and recovery sooner. But today, me and my son George have the absolute best bond, I’m back at work and I’m even managing George’s junior rugby team. There was a time when I never could have imagined this life.
My pregnancy was generally fine – up until the point that I was induced, got sepsis and had to have an emergency C-section. I was in hospital for about five days and I didn’t get much sleep. As a single mum, I lived with my mum at the time and, when I first brought George home, she noticed something was really wrong with how I was behaving. It was as though I went completely round the twist – believing that the girl from The Exorcist was living in my wardrobe and thinking that I was going to die or George was going to die. I also stopped my mum from touching George because I believed she was poisonous and that the poison would seep out of her blood and get into him. I wasn’t sleeping and I was excessively cleaning and panic buying things. I was also talking manically and was very hyperactive.
It was a strange situation because I didn’t think there was anything wrong with me, it was everyone around me, all my family members, who noticed that there was something very wrong.
I agreed to go back to the maternity unit for a check up and was assessed in hospital by psychiatrists. I was incredibly manic at the time and becoming really out of control. They gave me a lot of sedatives and put a section on me, which they then lifted. That was when I was admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU).
A couple of hours later the sedatives wore off and I completely flipped out. I was restrained and injected and, from that point on, I barely remember a thing. It was like I woke up in hospital and it was next year.
During that period I was moved between the MBU, a psychiatric intensive care unit and two other psychiatric hospitals. I wasn’t responding to medication, so it took a few months to find the right one and come round from the psychosis. But for some time I was basically like a zombie in a chair - dribbling, non-verbal, unkempt and putting on a lot of weight. During this time my mum looked after George but she also looked after me – advocating on my behalf at the hospital and asking for more support.
Being in hospital was traumatic. At one point I was on a mixed ward and I was punched in the face and sexually assaulted by a couple of the male patients there. In December of last year I started having really distressing nightmares about my experience there.
Luckily, the all-women hospital I was moved to was where things started to improve. The clozapine was working and the environment was much better – the staff were lovely and being among all women patients and having more homely areas and activities to take part in really helped. I started to get snapshots of memory back. They let me have more visitors as well, and at one point I was able to go home for a night at a time. They also used to help me shower and help me do my hair and make-up, bringing a degree of normality back into my life.
Saying that, my recovery has been quite slow. I was on clozapine for two and a half years after being discharged and my follow-up care wasn’t great – possibly because it was during the pandemic. I was never offered any therapy and I had put on ten stone while in hospital, so I was physically unfit as well.
I eventually came off the clozapine in 2022 and was put on antidepressants but I wasn’t sleeping and kept waking up with night terrors. Eventually, I found a private therapist who was fantastic and helped me talk through my trauma and work on my self esteem.
She helped me come to terms with what had happened and helped me to understand that it was an illness – it was nothing that I had done wrong.
It was around that time I found APP, too. I got in touch with Ellie from the peer support team and took part in my first zoom café group. I was then matched with Krystal as my one-to-one peer supporter who was also really great. It was the first time I had met anyone else who had experienced PP and who had been through a similar trauma. Talking to others who have been there really gives you hope and helps you feel less ashamed and alone.
I have since been diagnosed with bipolar but it hasn’t stopped me living my life. Speaking with others who can relate was a big turning point. And my mum has been a wonderful support and the therapy really helped me too. I think it’s important to reach out for that help because locking it away is the worst thing you can do. You need to process it and you need to find hope to help you recover more quickly.
I feel so lucky that me and George have such a great bond now – he’s such a mummy’s boy.
I was worried it might never happen because we were separated for such a long time and it took a little while but we got there.
I just want others to know that you can be in the absolute worst place ever, but it does get better. It’s hard work and it takes time but you can do it. You just need to learn to reach out and ask for help. If you feel like your meds aren’t right - say so. If you feel any warning signs creeping back in - go and get help. Plodding along and saying that everything’s OK when it isn’t is the worst thing to do. I never had that hope which is why I struggled so much and for so long. I genuinely believe that if I spoke to someone like me when I was at my worst it would have made a huge difference. Everyone needs to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
2023 was supposed to be the best year of our lives, having our first child in Spring and getting married at Christmas time.
Within 12 weeks we went from the feeling of reassurance that the 20 week scan gave us, to living apart for nearly five months when Megan was admitted to a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) following a mental health crisis.
I'd heard of the baby blues and postnatal depression but I'd never heard of postpartum psychosis (PP), which happens in around 1-2 in 1000 pregnancies. I also didn't know the most common cause of death of women within a year of having a child was suicide, a risk I didn't think we would be managing after becoming parents for the first time.
While PP most often occurs following birth, our case was slightly different and things started to go wrong while Megan was still pregnant. She became more and more anxious about the pregnancy, worrying that something awful was happening and that she couldn't feel any movement. We were visiting A&E regularly, being sent for yet another scan, waiting for hours to be told everything was fine and being asked if this was our first child. People suggesting we were worrying for no reason became our norm.
However, we were told she didn’t meet the threshold for perinatal mental health support when we finally got an assessment. This cycle went on for weeks with Megan's anxiety becoming worse by the day, and her severe sleep issues led to stronger delusional beliefs. It was only when Megan became suicidal that I feel like we were finally listened to.
At 32 weeks pregnant she was sectioned. It was awful for her and I will never forget the sadness in her eyes as I had to say goodbye. As difficult as that was I knew that her safety, and our unborn child were the priority. A few weeks later, our beautiful son was born prematurely and he spent some time in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, while I spent my days visiting him in one part of the hospital and Megan in the other. Three weeks later was the first sign of hope I had, as Oscar was discharged and able to move to the MBU to be with his mummy, and supported by the most wonderful nursery team who looked after my family outside of visiting hours and when I returned to work.
Coming back to an empty flat for the best part of five months broke my heart but mums and their babies need each other and that's one of the reasons MBUs exist. Sadly, there still isn't enough of them across the UK and none at all in Northern Ireland where we planned to have our children. I spent a lot of time researching postpartum psychosis and finding the stories on APP’s website and forum gave me hope - as did the MBU staff reassuring me that "she will get better".
Rory and Megan's son, Oscar
When Megan and Oscar came home I told myself if I could get through those months, everything else would be a breeze. And whilst things slowly got better, my personal resilience was shot, just as I was finally feeling like a proper dad for the first time and not relying on hospital staff. In truth the last year and a half has not been easy as Megan continued to recover at home, and we have both had our mental health challenges.
Megan continued to engage in the professional services even when she didn’t want to. Her hard work, support from our family who visited regularly, our patience for each other and the love of the most amazing little human have got us to where we are now. Now we are looking forward and building memories as a family and have a lot be thankful for. Sadly not everyone makes it this far, but those who access the support we have are able to have a much better chance.
Seeing how far Megan has come in the last 6 months makes me proud. She kept a lot of her feelings and experiences inside as there is a lot of stigma associated with mental illness, but she has come through that and no longer feels shame. She has now shared her experiences openly with friends and family, many of whom had no idea what she went through, as well as social media, and that's what's inspired me to write this.
The work of APP is critical in raising awareness including their campaign to open Northern Ireland’s first MBU, and educating medical professionals in maternal mental health. For anyone reading this who is going through something similar, don’t lose hope as things really can get better.
Rory is running the London Marathon for APP in April 2026. Find out more and add your support for his run here.
For the last couple of years, APP volunteer Chris has made it his mission to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis.
Not only is he doing talks, appearing in magazines and academic journals, he's also taken on a personal challenge to try and watch a match at the nearest football ground to every Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) in the country, wearing his special APP footie top, and getting a mention in as many matchday programmes as he can, as well as visiting the local MBU where possible. Read about all his adventures so far here.
He's already been to his first fixture of his third season as part of this challenge. Here's his latest match report...
'Season 3 of my postpartum psychosis football awareness tour... HERE WE GO!
So far I have been to 10 football matches around 9 MBUs. And on Saturday 2nd August 2025, I kicked off my 3rd season by seeing my 11th match at Colchester United!
I went to this match with my dear friend Katie, and her son and nephew. It was Katie's nephew's first ever live match. My home form woes looked set to continue - until an 87th minute Colchester equaliser! Phew!
Colchester put a lovely entry in their digital matchday programme about my challenge, postpartum psychosis and the MBUs.
But the standout moment was definitely being featured on the big screen in my MBU/APP football shirt, with the stadium announcer giving me a shout-out and sharing my challenge with everyone in attendance—both before the match and during halftime!
This was such an incredibly unique and emotional moment for me. I knew that I was going to be featured on the big screen, which was incredible itself, but to hear the stadium announcer share my challenge to the almost 6000 fans in attendance was just amazing.
The JobServe Community stadium is less than 30miles from the Rainbow Unit MBU in Chelmsford. And I actually got to visit this MBU on this trip. It had a room with the handprints of mums and babies who had stayed there with positive affirmations which was just beautiful to see.
I am so incredibly proud of this challenge. And I am loving every moment of it!'
Next stop on Chris's tour was Notts County on 15th November, where he managed to get his name up in lights!
'Myself and two good friends went to see the world's oldest professional football club - Notts County - draw 1-1 with Harrogate at Meadow Lane.
There is no doubt about it now...I am officially a home team curse! But regardless of the result, it was a great weekend with great company!
I’ve been so lucky with the support from clubs so far on this challenge, and Notts County FC once again helped me spread the word by giving me a shout out before kick off and at half time and sharing a few words about postpartum psychosis and the MBUs on the scoreboards!
Meadow Lane stadium is less than 5 miles from the Margaret Oates MBU. And I actually got to visit them on this trip! It was so lovely to meet the Deputy Ward Manager Pip and Nursery Nurse Sam, and to talk about their incredible work in helping new mums with their mental health. Margaret Oates is such a lovely MBU! The whole place is filled with uplifting, positive affirmations, and I was particularly impressed with their post-discharge debrief meetings and the support they provide for partners.
This match marked the official halfway point of my challenge — I’ve now been to 12 football matches at 11 of the 22 Mother and Baby Units across the UK! It’s been an intense but incredible two weeks of raising awareness, and I’m so grateful for all the support so far.
If you need support, or want to talk about postpartum psychosis, please reach out to APP - they offer incredible support for the whole family. Please remember that you’re not alone 💜'
Chris's tour continued with a trip to Halesowen Town in early April. His 13th match to date!
Chris sent us an update from this match:
'My curse continued...they lost! But Halesowen were amazing in their support. They put an entry in their matchday programme...but the absolute highlight was that I was interviewed on Radio Halesowen Town at the match! I did a 4 minute interview about my tour, PP, APP and the MBUs. What an incredible new experience that was!
Nat and I also got to visit the Birmingham MBU whilst we were there which was lovely.'
You can listen to Chris's radio interview here:
And for his final match of this season, Chris had a very special, meaningful experience at Brentford FC:
'My Brentford match was a really special moment on this awareness raising challenge, because I got to go with my mum! My mum has stood by us with unwavering strength and support ever since our family’s world was turned upside down by postpartum psychosis in 2019.
She has done so much for us as a family, and now she gives back to APP as a Nana peer supporter - helping other grandparents with their own experiences of postpartum psychosis.
It was solely thanks to Brentford that we were able to attend this match. When they heard about my awareness journey and challenge, they very kindly helped source tickets for us. It’s gestures like that which go far beyond football — and I’m incredibly grateful that they made the moment possible for us.
I grew up going to Brentford with my Grandad, and those are moments I will always carry with me. So to be back watching Brentford — tipping my cap to him, and sharing this awareness matchday with my mum — meant more than I can really put into words.
The Brentford match concluded my football season. So here's to continuing the challenge next season! I only have 9 matches left on this awareness raising tour now... or 10 if we include the newly announced Northern Ireland MBU!'
Another successful awareness raising season for Chris! We're looking forward to next season already.
If you have accessed APP’s peer support services, please tell us what you think by completing our survey.
The survey will take around 15 minutes to fill in. It is open to anyone who has used APP's peer support service (whether that is the online forum, café groups, one to one support via email, video/phone call or face-to-face, creative or wellbeing groups, or had any other contact with an APP peer support volunteer or staff member). We would also like to hear from volunteers who have delivered peer support.
Your responses will help us improve APP’s peer support and report to our funders on the importance of our work. If you have used our service this year, please complete the survey and help us demonstrate how many people our service is reaching.
The survey can be completed anonymously and is confidential. Any comments you wish to add will also remain anonymous, but might be used as quotes in our reports.
Free APP webinar: Essential knowledge for preventing maternal suicide
Most powerful session I have ever attended.
So much valuable information delivered today, so well put together. Very touching real-life stories bravely told from those who have lived experience.
The 2025 APP Webinar for frontline health professionals working with families in the perinatal period will be held on Wednesday 8th October.
Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK and rates are increasing nationally. This free webinar is open to frontline health professionals working with families in the perinatal period and will outline the actions needed to support and protect women who develop postpartum psychosis.
The webinar will be delivered in collaboration with The National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University (NCMH) and General Practitioners Championing Perinatal Mental Health Care (GPCPC), and will include talks from APP’s clinical, academic and lived experience experts.
This will be the third in the webinar series. 6,438 health professionals have signed up in previous years. Of attendees, 93% rated the training as ‘excellent’; 7% rated it ‘good’ and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result.
You can book your free place here. There’s no limit to the number of places available - please share the details with colleagues and encourage them to join us for this important event.
A poster to promote the webinar can be downloaded here. Health professionals, please put one up in your place of work!
Health professional training in postpartum psychosis: book your place
Book now for our online training “Best practice care in postpartum psychosis” on Wednesday 12th November 2025.
The one-day online course is suitable for professionals working with pregnant and postnatal women and families. It draws upon cutting-edge research in postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and the experiences of women and families. It is designed to increase confidence in identifying and managing risk, identifying early symptoms, and providing high quality support to women and families from preconception to full recovery.
1 day course cost: £195. There is a special early bird rate of £165 for bookings made before 13th September. Find out more and book here.
If you would like training tailored for your team, have questions, or to join our training mailing list, please email: training@app-network.org
Peer support volunteer training
I attended the APP peer support training to become a peer supporter myself. It has been so very special to be able to share my own recovery to help other women in theirs.
Are you a Black mum in the UK who has experienced mania or psychosis in the perinatal period? Would you like to train to support others?
We will be running a peer support training for new volunteers in London on 6th September. We already have lots of interest from potential new volunteers, but we would love to train more Black peer support volunteers who are willing to offer a few hours a month to support recovering mums.
If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with us: app@app-network.org.
The packs, to support women being treated on each unit, have been made possible thanks to generous donations from Booktrust and Spacemasks and include board books, finger puppets and a Spacemask (for mum) all in a lovely canvas bag. Also included are copies of APP leaflets, posters and four Insider Guides, including our latest guide, Being A Parent after Postpartum Psychosis.
Free PP guides for mums, parents and families
Well done to everyone who put this together - it’s really useful and well written.
Our newest Insider Guide, Being A Parent after PP, is now available as a hard copy. We can post FREE printed copies of this and all our helpful guides about postpartum psychosis to individuals and health professional teams in the UK.
Just email us with your name, address and which guides you’d like: app@app-network.org. Or download them from our website here.
Not only are the staff at Ribblemere Mother and Baby Unit an amazing support for the mums and families on the ward… but also incredibly artistic!! Look at the window they painted at the weekend! Jocelyn, Peer Support Facilitator, Lancashire and South Cumbria
Do you live in the North West? APP has partnership projects with the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and in Manchester. If you’d like to meet other mums, parents and families with experience of postpartum psychosis at our community café groups or become an APP volunteer, please email: lancsandcumbria@app-network.org or manchester@app-network.org
In the media
Rich Baish, APP’s Development Manager, talked to Healthcare Today about postpartum psychosis and how it should be treated.
APP volunteer, Natalie, wrote a moving article for Chat magazine for Fathers' Day last month about her experiences of PP and how her partner Chris supported her through it. Chris and Natalie do so much to raise awareness of PP and we're so grateful to them for sharing their story (below).
Fundraiser thank yous
We had a wonderful time on our first ever APP Adventure last month! More than 35 people came together in the beautiful Peak District to take on a 13km walk of Mam Tor (Mother Hill) passing through the village of Hope. The walk was slightly more challenging than some of us anticipated, and we endured all weathers - from a heatwave to sideways rain! But a fantastic time was had by all, new friendships made, old friends reunited and nearly £12,000 raised for APP in the process. (It’s not too late if you fancy sponsoring the APP staff team for their efforts - click here to add your support!)
Fancy joining us for our next adventure? We’re already making plans - watch this space for more details very soon!
A massive thank you to all our recent fundraisers - and there’s been a lot!
A team of eleven runners took on the Barnsley 10k on a super hot day in June, raising more than £4,000 in the process. Amazing effort!
APP peer support volunteer Amy T planned her own massive Miles for Mums and Babies challenge in early July - walking 36 miles over two days along the South Downs Way from Chichester to Winchester. She wanted to raise funds for APP because:
Accessing APP’s peer support was a critical step in my recovery and I now volunteer to support other mums. Walking was fundamental to my recovery - being out in nature, covering ground and moving through landscapes helped me heal and return to myself.
Clément braved the London 10k in temperatures of over 30 degrees last weekend - he says:
APP is a cause close to my heart as my mother experienced postpartum psychosis shortly after my birth.
Over in the United States, Clinical Psychologist Eliza (pictured below) took on the Hudson Valley triathlon for APP!
Amy B took part in an amazing 5k inflatable obstacle course in Southampton during the same heatwave weekend - she took on the challenge to help raise awareness and reduce stigma.
Plenty more fundraisers coming up too
In September, Alan and his team are planning an ultramarathon across the county of Northamptonshire to highlight the lack of provision for families affected by PP in that area.
And in the North East, we’ll have a team of six taking on the world famous Great North Run for APP - look out for our runners Fiona, Jo, Gemma, James, Debbie and Hannah on the TV coverage or give them a cheer if you’re in the area!
Feeling inspired?
Check out our updated challenge page where you’ll find events for the autumn and winter, plus new ones for 2026 that are already open and selling fast! Brighton Marathon, Edinburgh Marathon, London Landmarks Half, Manchester Marathon, Paris Half and so many more! We’ve got something for everyone from 4.5k ‘Santa in the City’ fun runs for the whole family, to ultramarathons and trail runs. We’d love to have you on board #TeamAPP!
Making A Difference Cards
Check out our brand new designs available exclusively at Making A Difference Cards - with artwork generously created and donated by one of our youngest supporters, Thomas, age 8. The sale of every card includes a donation to APP so if you have an occasion coming up - birthday, anniversary, graduation, or if you just need a 'thinking of you' card - click here and go to ‘charity’s own designs’ to browse Thomas's artwork and find out more.
Regular Giving
We're so grateful to our donors who give regularly via a monthly direct debit. Each year our generous regular donors contribute enough to help us reach out to and offer peer support to more than 145 new parents affected by postpartum psychosis - peer support that parents tell us is life changing and life saving.
Regular donations like this are vital as they allow us to be able to budget and plan ahead. If you could support us with a regular gift, of any size, it really does make a difference, and it’s so easy to set up. Find out more here.
Easyfundraising
Booking a holiday? Travel insurance? Airport parking? Theatre tickets? Whatever you have planned for the summer holidays, if you shop via easyfundraising, APP will receive a donation at no extra cost to you! Supporters have raised more than £300 through their shopping and it’s super easy to set up. There’s a quick explainer here about how it all works.
APP joins expert panel following screening of ‘Holy Baby’
APP’s Community Engagement Manager, Rachel Evans, was invited to join an expert panel to discuss the themes explored in Holy Baby – a new short film produced by actor and writer, Phoebe Cowley, in partnership with fellow producer Isabel Gaytan.
Holy Baby, which premiered at Finsbury Park Picturehouse in July, follows the story of a young couple, Stef (played by Phoebe Cowley) and Louis (played by Shadrach Agozino) who are struggling to come to terms with their situation following the traumatic birth of their baby. Stef thinks that the only option is to give the baby away and leaves him outside her local church believing he will be safer there.
The story explores themes of postpartum psychosis and has been inspired by real life stories. The APP team also provided Phoebe and Isabel with messages of support for their crowdfunding campaign as well as expert guidance and factual messaging relating to postpartum psychosis, while producers also collaborated with Maternal Mental Health Alliance and Hammersmith, Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow Mind.
Rachel said:
Holy Baby is a sensitively produced short film highlighting the devastating impact of postpartum psychosis on new parents. It highlights the pivotal role partners can and do play in supporting women to access the urgent help and support needed.
The soundtrack to the film is extremely clever, in its portrayal of everyday sounds becoming heightened during psychosis whilst other sounds are more muted, it makes for a very effective short film - especially in highlighting this illness to new audiences.
APP Peer Supporter, Maria Fernández also attended the screening. She said:
I was touched by the respect and compassion that the filmmakers gave to the subject of postpartum psychosis. Ultimately Holy Baby was a compelling portrait of the illness and will help to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
The film was directed by James Coyle, with cinematography by Eoin McLoughlin and will be screened at a range of festivals and events in the coming months. APP hopes to share updates on local screenings later this year.
Vacancies of interest
Peer Support Worker - Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust has a vacancy for a peer support worker (PSW) at Leeds Mother and Baby Unit.
Working as part of the multi-disciplinary team, the PSW will provide formalised peer support and practical assistance to service users/partners. The PSW will also act as a recovery champion within the team and an ambassador of recovery for the Trust with external agencies and partner organisations. You can read more about the role and find details of how to apply here.
Diary dates
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria virtual café group meet up, Monday 11th August
APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 20th August
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Blackburn, Friday 5th September
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria virtual café group meet up, Monday 8th September
APP UK-wide virtual café group meet up, Thursday 11th September
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Blackpool, Friday 12th September
APP London face to face café group meet up, Saturday 13th September
APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 17th September
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Lancaster, Wednesday 17th September
APP Northern Ireland virtual café group meet up, Thursday 18th September
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Preston, Friday 19th September
APP London virtual café group meet up, Tuesday 23rd September
APP Yorkshire face to face café group meet up in Leeds, Saturday 4th October
APP Scotland face to face café group meet up in Edinburgh, Saturday 18th October
Contact information for all APP café groups is available here.
Conferences/Events
Wales & South West England Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Tuesday 23rd September
Free to attend professional festival in Cardiff, bringing together qualified and student healthcare professionals to hear from maternity leaders on a wide range of topical themes. Booking details here.
Suicide Bereavement UK's 14th international hybrid conference, Thursday 25th September.
Hybrid conference in Manchester and online for anyone who comes into contact with those bereaved or affected by suicide. More details and booking information here.
Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating in the Perinatal Period, Thursday 25th September
Online conference looking at how Women with Eating Disorders can be better supported in pregnancy. The event will focus on learning from lived experience, understanding why pregnancy can trigger eating disorders and exploring how we can better identify women with disordered eating. A 20% discount is available for members of the APP network with code hcuk20app . More details and booking here.
Recognising and Responding to Maternal Deterioration, Wednesday 15th October
Online conference looking at how MEWS, NEWTT2 and the Perinatal Optimisation Care Pathway have been adopted in organisations across the country and the impact on recognising and responding to deterioration in maternity care. A 20% discount is available for members of the APP network with code hcuk20app . More details and booking here.
If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.
APP's new short film showcasing our work was first shown time at a special ceremony to collect our 2025 GSK IMPACT award in May 2025.
The video, which features APP peer support staff working with families at Mother and Baby Units as well as Shaheda Akhtar from our Diverse Communities Outreach project, was commissioned as part of the GSK IMPACT award prize package.
You can read more about APP's GSK IMPACT award here.
Join our Northern Ireland Mother and Baby Unit campaign
There’s been an incredibly powerful response to the BBC Spotlight programme ‘Mums in Crisis’ which investigates perinatal mental health care in Northern Ireland. The programme explained just how urgently a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is needed to save lives and prevent trauma.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without a Mother and Baby Unit and APP is campaigning for this to change.
Our Northern Ireland media consultant, Liz Morrison, worked with programme producers, supporting them to meet members of our Northern Ireland café group, and others from the APP team. Cafe group member, Shelley bravely tells her story in the programme along with others with lived experience of severe postnatal mental illness, the family of Orlaith Quinn, perinatal mental health professionals from NI and from Jasmine Lodge MBU in Exeter. Shelley also shared her story with BBC News Online and Liz talked to BBC Radio Ulster.
We are so grateful to the production team and everyone who took part in the programme for helping to raise awareness of the issue. We must continue to keep the pressure up to ensure the promised MBU is delivered.
Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of Action on Postpartum Psychosis said:
It’s been 16 years since Michelle O’Neil and the Stormont Health Committee agreed that Northern Ireland needs a Mother and Baby Unit, but only now are we seeing real plans for this to progress. The Minister has told the Assembly he hopes to greenlight it this calendar year, but we need a commitment that this will happen. Until it opens, women continue to be separated from their babies for treatment by non-specialists, causing life-long trauma and risking the lives of mums and babies.
You can read more of APP’s response on our website.
If you haven’t watched the programme, you can see it here. It’s powerful, emotional and deeply moving. If you choose to view it please look after yourself and reach out to members of the APP staff peer support team for a chat if you need it.
If you have experience of PP or severe postnatal mental illness, live in Northern Ireland and would like to join our continuing campaign for a Mother and Baby Unit or learn more about our café group, please get in touch. National or NI charities and organisations can connect with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance or Aware NI to find out how to support the campaign.
Northern Ireland face to face café group
We were delighted to hold our second in-person café group (pictured above) for Northern Ireland in Belfast recently.
APP’s National Peer Support Coordinator, Ellie Ware, was joined by ten women and family members who have experienced postpartum psychosis.
The group meets each month via video call, but nothing beats meeting in person. As we train more NI peer support volunteers, we hope to arrange more in-person meet ups.
To find out more about joining the group, or to express an interest in training as a NI peer support volunteer, please get in touch.
Watch our GSK award film
Photo credit: Lisa Bretherick
Members of the APP team attended a special ceremony to collect our 2025 GSK IMPACT award.
We’re thrilled that Action on Postpartum Psychosis has been honoured in this way. The annual awards, which are delivered in partnership with The King’s Fund, are a mark of excellence in the charity sector, recognising outstanding work by small and medium sized charities. More than 700 charities entered this year’s awards. Ten winners, including APP, were chosen by the panel.
A new short film showcasing APP’s work was shown for the first time at the event. The video, which features APP peer support staff working with families at Mother and Baby Units as well as Shaheda Akhtar from our Diverse Communities Outreach project, was commissioned as part of the GSK IMPACT award prize package. You can watch it here and read more about the award on our website.
APP Webinar 2025: book your free place now
On Wednesday 8th October APP will be hosting the 2025 APP Webinar for frontline health professionals working with families in the perinatal period.
Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK and rates are increasing nationally. This free webinar is open to frontline health professionals including GPs, midwives, health visitors and antenatal educators.
APP experts, women and families with lived experience and clinicians will highlight the early signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis and discuss how frontline health professionals can work with perinatal mental health teams to help prevent maternal suicides.
This will be the third in the webinar series. 6,438 health professionals have signed up in previous years. Of attendees, 93% rated the training as ‘excellent’; 7% rated it ‘good’ and 100% agreed they would change their practice as a result.
You can book your free place here. There’s no limit to the number of places available - please share the details with colleagues and encourage them to join us for this important event.
Peer support volunteer training
I attended the APP peer support training to become a peer supporter myself. It has been so very special to be able to share my own recovery to help other women in theirs.
Are you a Black mum who lives in the UK who has experienced psychosis in the perinatal period, and are interested in being a peer support volunteer with us?
We will be running a peer support training for new volunteers in London on 6th September. We already have a lot of people who are interested in attending, but we would love to have more Black peer support volunteers who are willing to offer a few hours a month to support recovering mums.
If you are interested in finding out more, please get in touch with us: app@app-network.org.
Thai translations of APP Insider Guides - can you help?
Do you speak Thai and have lived experience of postpartum psychosis (PP) either in the UK or Thailand? Could you help give feedback on our new Thai guides?
We’re working with the Pranaiya and Arthur Magoffin Foundation to translate our Insider Guides into Thai. These free guides provide vital information for women and families affected by PP, co-produced by those with lived experience, specialist clinicians, and leading experts.
We rely on the support of partner organisations for translation. The translations are reviewed by Thai speaking clinicians, but we also need feedback from those with personal experience to help us review the accuracy and tone of the guides.
If you are a Thai speaker with experience of PP or severe postnatal mental illness, and can help give feedback, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.
New Chester Mother and Baby Unit: update
APP’s Jocelyn Ellams and Sally Wilson (pictured above) recently visited Seren Lodge, the new Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) under construction in Chester.
As part of our ongoing campaign for more MBUs, Jocelyn and Sally, along with local APP volunteers, have been working with Helix Experts by Experience group inputting into the development of Seren Lodge.
The eight-bed unit will provide vital support for families across North Wales and North-West England and is set to open by the end of the year. You can watch a video of Jocelyn and Sally’s visit here.
If anyone with lived experience in the Cheshire, Wirral, or North Wales areas would like to find out more about the Helix group you can do so here.
Reading Well for families
APP is supporting a new scheme designed to support the mental health and wellbeing of families during pregnancy and the early years (from conception to age two).
The Reading Well for families booklist was launched on 10th June and is available across public libraries in England and Wales. It includes information and personal stories on topics such as parental wellbeing, perinatal mental health problems (including anxiety, depression, OCD and birth trauma), and coping with loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death).
Amongst the books on the list are “What Have I Done?” by APP Ambassador Laura Dockrill and “Bonkers” by Olivia Siegl, both accounts of the authors’ experiences with postpartum psychosis.
Find the books in your local library or browse the collection here.
Raising awareness of PP: support for dads and co-parents
APP volunteer Chris Wasley and Partner Peer Support Coordinator Simon O’Mara attended the Royal College of Midwives 2025 Conference (pictured above), where Chris gave a presentation about his family’s experience of postpartum psychosis.
Simon writes:
Chris’s presentation was a very powerful lived experience, delivered with passion, perfect pacing and spot on timing. It left the audience in no doubt of how postpartum psychosis can affect partners and as I looked around I could see how much it resonated with the audience. He was greeted by a huge round of applause that continued to fill the theatre for some time.
We’re really grateful to Chris for sharing his story in this way. If you’d like to find out more about APP’s dads and co-parents peer support, or if you have a few hours a month to raise awareness or support other partners, you can read more on our website or email Simon.
APP at Ireland Perinatal Mental Health Conference
On May 20th, APP’s National Training Coordinator, Dr. Sally Wilson, delivered a keynote speech at the Republic of Ireland Perinatal Mental Health Conference, held at University Maternity Hospital in Limerick, Ireland.
Centred around the theme of connection, synergy, and integration, the conference brought together experts dedicated to improving maternal mental health care. Sally spoke about the importance of MBUs, PP health professional training and the vital peer support services APP provides to families affected by postpartum psychosis.
Sally said:
It was inspiring to hear about the incredible work being done by specialist perinatal mental health teams across Ireland. I had the privilege of meeting so many dedicated professionals from different health trusts, all deeply committed to supporting families during the perinatal period. The day was a celebration of collaboration and the achievements of the teams so far
Ireland currently has no Mother and Baby Unit, so next steps will focus on expanding community perinatal mental health teams and progressing plans to establish an MBU.
If you live in the Republic of Ireland and have experienced PP and would be interested in linking up with APP as a regional representative volunteer, please get in touch.
Can you help to improve recovery after postpartum psychosis?
APP has been working with a team in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of East Anglia for the past few years on the development of tools to support psychological recovery from PP.
As part of this work, second-year Trainee Clinical Psychologist, Beth, is looking for people who have experienced postpartum psychosis to complete a survey.
The aim of this research is to better understand recovery after an acute episode and help develop new psychological support for others going through similar experiences in the future.
Please help us by taking part. You can find out more and take part here. If you have any questions Beth can be contacted via email: Bethany.Palmer@uea.ac.uk
Have your say on research gaps for women and families affected by PP
Postpartum Psychosis research has been underfunded for many years, leading to gaps in knowledge about the condition. This lack of knowledge can be distressing for women and families trying to seek information and for health professionals trying to provide high quality care.
The Perinatal Mental Health Priority Setting Partnership, supported by the James Lind Alliance, is gathering data to outline future research priorities to improve the lives of women, birthing people, babies, and families.
They would like to hear from people with lived experience, healthcare professionals and voluntary organisations on the research questions that need answering.
APP will be highlighting difficulties caused by knowledge gaps around: the causes of PP; prevention; medication (lack of specially designed drugs, and limited research of medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding); psychological recovery; diagnosis; long term illness course and outcomes; impact on children, and how care influences outcomes for children; and managing menopause, to name a few, but please highlight anything else you feel impacts on parental mental health.
If you would like to highlight the personal impact of gaps in knowledge about postpartum psychosis, and have a few minutes to spare, this is your chance to influence future research priorities. You can take the survey here.
Fabulous fundraisers
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Miles for Mums and Babies challenge during May - from ultra marathon runners, to long distance walkers, to team challenges and fun runners - there’s been a lot going on right across the UK! And of course, it’s not too late to get involved - with this challenge you can do it whenever you want to. Learn more about our wonderful Miles for Mums and Babies fundraisers and find out how you can take part too here.
Good luck to the amazing team taking on the Great North Swim in Lake Windermere for APP this weekend! Claire, Louise, Mary, Roban and Laura, all healthcare professionals from the South Yorks Community Perinatal Mental Health Team, are aiming to complete a one mile open water swim. They’ve already raised over £1,500 and are looking forward to the challenge! More here.
And another good luck message to the fantastic team of nine who will be taking part in the Barnsley 10k at the end of June! Jemma, Gemma, Amy, Beth, Joel, Danni, Steph, Emma and Sally are hoping to turn the town purple on the 29th to help raise lots of awareness and funds for APP. Thank you team! Check out their fundraising page here.
We’re also all so excited that our first ever APP Adventure is happening on 21st June! We have more than 40 people signed up for our Mam Tor Challenge, including teams from the Margaret Oates MBU in Nottingham, and the Yorks & Humber MBU in Leeds, as well as APP supporters, parents, grandparents, friends, trustees and staff members. Fingers crossed for good weather as we hike together across the Peak District. We’ll be posting updates so keep an eye out for photos, and do send us some good luck messages to keep us going!
We are delighted to share a beautiful maternal mental health planner that can now be purchased from journal company DayDot - a gentle, reflective, supportive space designed to support new parents through the highs, the lows, and everything in between.
This new maternal mental health planner has been created in collaboration with APP and with input from our network, and all profits from the planner will go directly to APP, helping fund vital support for families experiencing postpartum psychosis.
The planner is designed not just for those who have experienced postpartum psychosis, but for any mother navigating the emotional landscape of early motherhood.
A huge thank you to Tara and Chris for all their hard work bringing this planner into fruition. You can read more, and access DayDot, here.
International Fathers' Mental Health Day, Monday 16th June
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Lancaster, Wednesday 18th June
APP dads and co-parents virtual café group meet up, Wednesday 18th June
APP Lancashire and South Cumbria face to face café group meet up in Preston, Friday 20th June
APP Mam Tor Adventure, Saturday 21st June
APP UK-wide virtual café group meet up, Thursday 26th June
APP Manchester face to face café group meet up, Friday 27th June
APP Muslim women’s virtual café group meet up, Tuesday 1st July
APP neurodiverse virtual peer support group, Monday 7th July
Contact information for all APP café groups is available here.
Conferences and Events
Improving Perinatal Mental Health Services, Friday 27th June
Online conference with presentations from expert speakers at local and national level. Learning from the most recent MBRRACE- UK Report and roadmap to strengthening perinatal mental health will be shared. Members of the APP network will receive a 20% discount with code hcuk20app. Book here.
Northern Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Tuesday 8th July
Free to attend professional festival in Manchester for practising and student healthcare professionals working across maternity and midwifery. Booking details here.
Wales & South West England Maternity & Midwifery Festival, Tuesday 23rd September
Free to attend professional festival in Cardiff, bringing together qualified and student healthcare professionals to hear from maternity leaders on a wide range of topical themes. Booking details here.
Suicide Bereavement UK's 14th international hybrid conference, Thursday 25th September.
Hybrid conference in Manchester and online for anyone who comes into contact with those bereaved or affected by suicide. More details and booking information here.
If you would like to advertise your event here, please get in touch: app@app-network.org.
Media release: 3rd June 2025 For immediate release
Today’s BBC Spotlight investigation into perinatal mental health care in Northern Ireland shows just how urgently a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is needed to save lives and prevent life-long trauma, national charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) says.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK without an MBU, a specialist inpatient mental health treatment centre where mothers can be admitted with their babies for care and treatment. Instead, mums are admitted to acute psychiatric wards for non-specialist treatment, separating them from their babies.
APP estimates that around 100 women a year will require hospital admission for severe mental illness in the year after birth, including about 35 with postpartum psychosis, a severe and life-threatening mental illness that can develop suddenly. Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death in Northern Ireland.
While APP welcomed the announcement more than six months ago that Belfast Trust will take forward plans for NI’s first MBU, we are concerned that we still haven’t seen ring-fenced funding, a firm timeline, and interim measures.
Dr Jess Heron, Chief Executive of Action on Postpartum Psychosis said:
“Tonight we heard from mums and their families who urgently need better mental health care. It’s a story APP hears all the time from the mums who attend our postpartum psychosis Northern Ireland peer support group who, like Shelley, have been separated from their babies and admitted to psychiatric inpatient wards for treatment.
“And too often we hear the stories of tragedy, with lives lost - a story we all heard tonight from Siobhan Graham about her daughter Orlaith Quinn.
“We’ve waited 16 years since Michelle O’Neil and the Stormont Health Committee agreed that Northern Ireland needs a Mother and Baby Unit, but only now are we seeing real plans for this to progress. And we keep waiting. We have a site chosen, but there still isn’t a business plan. The Minister has told the Assembly he hopes to greenlight it this calendar year, but we need a commitment that this will happen.
“We are concerned that in reality, it could be many years until an MBU opens. Years when women continue to be separated from their babies for treatment by non-specialists; where they don’t receive appropriate physical care in the weeks after giving birth; where they miss out on vital bonding with the baby; and where families struggle to provide care for babies. Years in which women continue to die by suicide because they aren’t getting the care and treatment they need.
“We’re cautious about calling for interim measures, as there is always a risk that what should be short-term solutions become long-term, or even permanent. But there needs to be a plan while we wait; we know there are women dying, and being needlessly traumatised in non-specialist units.
“Spotlight visited the Exeter MBU which is a great example not just of how an MBU supports recovery while keeping mum and baby together, but is also an example of how an interim unit has been just that – not ideal, but a safe and appropriate space where mums can be with their babies while they recover from severe postpartum mental illness while a permanent unit is built.”
For more information or to arrange an interview contact Liz Morrison on 07711 558 296, liz.morrison@me.com / Lucy Nichol on 07771 967 032, lucy@app-network.org
Anyone affected by postpartum psychosis, now or many years ago, can access support from APP, including an NI Peer Support Group for mothers who have experienced it at any time. Email app@app-network.org for more information. For more information on postpartum psychosis and support available go towww.app-network.org
Background
Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that doesn’t have a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU), which provides specialist inpatient care for mums experiencing severe postnatal illness and their babies. Instead, mothers are admitted to general acute psychiatric wards for non-specialist treatment, separating them from babies.
An MBU provides specialist care for both mum and baby. Mental health teams with specialist training are able to provide the best care, for example: prescribing drugs that are suitable for use in the perinatal period; supporting the mother-infant relationship and the development of parenting skills; providing adequate postpartum physical care and appropriate facilities (such as nappy changing, milk fridges, play areas, safe places for older siblings to visit).
One in 5 women will experience mental health problems during pregnancy or after birth. Around 1000 women each year in Northern Ireland will develop a severe postnatal illness. This can include postpartum psychosis, severe depression and anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Between 84 and 122 will need admission to hospital. Suicide is the leading cause of maternal death, but with the right care is almost always preventable.
Postpartum mental health problems, in particular postpartum psychosis, can come on and escalate very quickly. This is not rare. The charity, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, who run a peer support group for women in NI who have experienced PP, estimates that 35 women in NI will develop the illness each year. While women with bipolar disorder are more likely to develop postpartum psychosis, 50% of cases are ‘out of the blue’, to women who have experienced no previous mental health problems.
The risk was highlighted at the 2022 inquest into the tragic death of Orlaith Quinn, who took her own life on a maternity ward while experiencing postpartum psychosis. The Coroner called for an MBU in NI.
According to the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths, suicide was the leading cause of maternal death in the first year after birth in the UK.
Facts about postpartum psychosis
Episodes of severe mental illness, such as mania or psychosis, follow 1-2 in 1,000 deliveries.
In Northern Ireland, around 35 women a year experience postpartum psychosis.
An average-sized maternity unit would see 8-10 cases of rapid-onset psychosis following childbirth in a year. Around 1,400 cases occur each year in the UK.
Postpartum Psychosis is a devastating illness for mothers and families.
It strikes at a time when families are full of expectation. Mothers feel loss, guilt, and responsibility for missing out on the early months of motherhood. Fathers become responsible for a newborn or are separated from their families. They do not know if their partners will fully recover.
Postpartum Psychosis can occur in women from all social classes, occupations, and educational backgrounds. Often, it occurs 'out of the blue' to women without any previous psychiatric history.
The stakes are high if the illness is not identified sufficiently early, or is poorly managed, both in terms of maternal outcome (including risk of suicide) and child outcome (including rare and tragic cases of infanticide).
According to The Confidential Enquiries into Maternal and Child Health (MBRRACE-UKhttps://www.npeu.ox.ac.uk/mbrrace-uk), suicide is the leading cause of maternal deaths. Half of these suicides occur in mothers suffering the acute onset of psychotic illness. Completed suicides are the tip of the iceberg in terms of ‘near miss’ events occurring to women who develop Postpartum Psychosis.
Postpartum Psychosis is eminently treatable, but services must respond quickly and appropriately to these psychiatric emergencies. Episodes have a rapid onset, usually within days of delivery, and may escalate to full-blown psychosis quickly - within hours or days.
Although episodes of Postpartum Psychosis are among the most severe illnesses seen in clinical practice, Postpartum Psychosis also has one of the best prognoses.
Acute symptoms are similar to those of bipolar disorder and may include: extreme elation or euphoria, rapid mood changes, or depressed mood; the rapid onset of unusual beliefs; visual and auditory hallucinations; extreme confusion; and behaviour can be very bizarre. Episodes can be very frightening for women and their families.
The causes of Postpartum Psychosis are unknown, but the dramatic hormonal and biological changes that occur at childbirth are thought to be involved. There is some evidence of a genetic component to the illness and of a link with bipolar disorder. One in 4 women with a history of bipolar disorder experience Postpartum Psychosis following childbirth.
The majority of women are substantially recovered within a few months, but full recovery and coming to terms with the illness may take 12 months or longer.
Recovery is a difficult and lengthy process. Factors that contribute to these difficulties include: limited availability of information about Postpartum Psychosis and recovery; isolation caused by lack of visible others who have experienced the illness; poor awareness in the general public and media; the stigma associated with experiencing mental illness - particularly at this time when women have high hopes of new motherhood; difficulties coming to terms with behaviour during the illness; limited availability of specialist psychological and practical support following admission to facilitate coming to terms with the episode, looking after a baby, rebuilding relationships, and mothering confidence.
Misguided portrayals in the media can contribute to mothers' feelings of isolation and to difficulties in discussing their experiences with other mothers. Often, when women or their partners search the internet for information about their illness, alarmist stories about mothers harming their babies are the first they encounter.
Postpartum Psychosis is not simply a more severe form of postnatal depression. In fact, many mothers with Postpartum Psychosis do not experience any symptoms of depression at all; rather, they experience extreme elation, spirituality, confusion, and quickly lose contact with reality. The majority of women, therefore, are unable to seek help for themselves, and others must obtain help for them.
Siblings Gemma and James are no strangers to the Great North Run, having taken part in 2016. Now they're back, with the aim of beating their younger selves (and maybe even each other!)
Debbie and Jo are experienced runners who have taken part in numerous events before, but this will be their first experience of the Great North Run.
Fiona is taking on her first ever Great North Run, inspired to take part and raise funds for APP by her good friend Laura (pictured together with Fiona on the left of the photo here).
But the standout moment was definitely being featured on the big screen in my MBU/APP football shirt, with the stadium announcer giving me a shout-out and sharing my challenge with everyone in attendance—both before the match and during halftime!
'Myself and two good friends went to see the world's oldest professional football club - Notts County - draw 1-1 with Harrogate at Meadow Lane.
Chris's tour continued with a trip to Halesowen Town in early April. His 13th match to date!
And for his final match of this season, Chris had a very special, meaningful experience at Brentford FC:
