Perinatal Mental Health Forum Meeting

If you have already read this and feel that it is a repeat post, it is as the original one was deleted by accident.


I was invited to attend a meeting of the Perinatal Mental Health forum on Monday 18th of June at Glasgow Caledonian University as a representative of the MAWS. I attended with Elaine Park of the Glasgow Mental Health Network who is hosting MAWS, and had been emailed a copy of the agenda for the day. I was especially interested in the talk which was going to be delivered by a trainee clinical psychologist about a study that she had been doing surrounding fathers and how perinatal mental health issues affect them.

Due to the study awaiting publication, I am not permitted to discuss in depth what the findings were but I can say that what has been done is certainly thought provoking and I do believe that it will have a major impact on fathers, which is long overdue. In my own personal opinion I feel that fathers are not properly represented and not a lot of work has been done to support them through their own experiences as care is more aimed towards the mother and child. It is of utmost importance that the child and mother are cared for but it is also as important that a father is not left to cope on their own with the feelings that they too are experiencing.

I took note of the fact that there hadn't really been any studies conducted since around 1988, and this worried me as there has been many stories in the media surrounding the stigma of mental ill health in men. I hope that this study will be made available soon and that others continue to follow up on the amazing work that this person has done. When it is made available we will ask for permission for publication.

Also, there may be scope for the MAWS group to work with Bi Polar Scotland as part of a patient focus group to help change the way in which services are delivered but this is in the early stages of development, will update if and when it goes ahead. Lots of exciting things happening but the most exciting is that we are being listened to and people are working together!