Barnsley’s new campaign on perinatal mental health
Council launches initiative to help expectant and new parents spot the signs perinatal mental ill-health.
According to Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, as much as 27% of new and expectant mothers and 20% of new fathers experience a perinatal mental illness. Untreated, such illness can have long-lasting impact on families.
Photo by Paul Hanaoka
That’s why the council has launched a new campaign aimed at expectant parents to those with children up to the age of two, highlighting the most common signs of such perinatal mental ill-health. These include feeling down, depressed or hopeless, difficulty sleeping, feeling argumentative or irritable, feelings of guilt, worry for the parent’s or baby’s health, struggling to connect with the ‘bump’ ahead of birth and with the baby once it is born, and the impulse to hurt themselves or others.
The initiative also underlines how talking to family and friends or contacting local support services can help. Sadly, there can be a stigma about speaking up, not least because being a new parent is meant to be an exciting, happy time. Other factors such as the fear of an intervention by social services and the expectations placed on dads to be ‘the strong parent’ can also get in the way of addressing mental health issues. Indeed, to really tackle such issues, parents need to be able to recognise that they are experiencing them in the first place.
The Barnsley campaign aims to break down these barriers and encourage more parents – men and women – to seek perinatal mental health support through local services. The council has worked with local health and care professionals to produce an animated video highlighting the signs and symptoms of perinatal mental ill-health, advising new parents to talk to friends and family, and to contact local support.
The video has been posted on the Barnsley Family Hub YouTube channel. It and supporting material will also be displayed in Barnsley Hospital, health settings in the community, family hub and community outreach buildings, and promoted on social media.
Councillor Wendy Cain, Cabinet Spokesperson for Public Health and Communities at Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, says: ‘In Barnsley, we want expectant parents, new mums and dads and their babies to have the best possible chance of having healthier, happier lives. I’m delighted to see our new perinatal mental health campaign which will highlight important signs and symptoms and help encourage people who are struggling reach out for help.
Alicia Sansome, Head of Public Health at the council, adds: ‘The health and well-being of parents to help give newborn babies the best possible start in life is our priority in Barnsley. We want to see parents and their young babies bond and experience the joy of becoming new parents during the critical first 1001 days of a child’s life. We’re really excited to launch our perinatal mental health signs and symptoms campaign in Barnsley. It’s a testament to the dedication of our professionals in wanting to help support people in our local communities and we hope this encourages expectant and new parents to reach out sooner for support if they are experiencing symptoms of perinatal mental health.’
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