APP launches peer support service for Cheshire families affected by postpartum psychosis

We are launching an invaluable peer support service for women based in Cheshire who have experienced severe mental illness following the birth of their child.

Our brand-new North West peer support café group will hold its first in-person session on Thursday 18th June between 10.30am and 12.30pm. It is a completely free service for anyone who has experienced psychosis in the perinatal period (whether recently or many years ago) who would benefit from peer support.

PP is a severe but highly treatable postnatal mental illness that should always be treated as a medical emergency. The illness develops in the days, weeks or months after giving birth and acute symptoms include mania, confusion, hallucinations and delusions. Early warning signs include an inability to sleep, feeling excited, elated or ‘high’, restlessness, paranoia and anxiety – although symptoms can vary between individuals.

Chester-based Jocelyn Ellams, APP’s North West Peer Support Manager, experienced PP in 2015. She said: “I was living abroad when I became unwell with postpartum psychosis. So when I started experiencing psychotic symptoms I felt quite isolated. It was only when I stumbled across APP’s website and reached out to the peer supporters on their forum that I found other women who had been through what I had. It was a lifeline for me during a very lonely time. 

“Now I’m proud to give back through my work with APP where our café groups complement the online forum, allowing women to come together and share experiences in a compassionate and non-judgmental environment.”

Hannah Bissett, APP’s National Coordinator (NHS Contracts), said: “We’re really pleased to be expanding our peer support in the North West, with a project at Seren Lodge Mother and Baby Unit in Chester alongside this new café group in the community for mums living in Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales, in partnership with Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.”

APP already delivers successful and award-winning peer support services working in partnership with NHS Trusts around the UK, as well as managing its thriving online national peer support forum. The charity also provides peer support for partners or close relatives of women who are experiencing or have experienced postpartum psychosis.

Anyone who would like to reserve a place at the first APP Café Group in Chester can email chester@app-network.org