DVD and tool about new mothers and mental illness
Posted: 9 March 2012 by Rob Dabrowski
A new online tool and DVD to help midwives identify and treat new mothers at risk of severe mental illness has been launched.
Maternal mental health: a learning programme for midwives has been developed by experts from Cardiff University and the chief nursing officer for Wales professor Jean White.
The new learning module focuses on healthcare professionals involved in antenatal and postnatal care.
It looks at predicting and detecting women at risk of severe mental illness during pregnancy and childbirth.
Dr Ian Jones, from the National Centre for Mental Health, led the development of the training module.
He said: ‘Suicide is a leading cause of maternal death in the UK and it is vital that women at high risk of severe mental illness at this time are identified so that appropriate help can be given to help keep them well.
‘The mental health and well-being of women in pregnancy is pivotal to ensuring good clinical, social and psychological outcomes for both mother and baby and provide a healthy start to family life.
‘In view of this, it is essential that mental health is a central component of midwifery care – which is the primary motivation in developing this new on-line learning tool.’
The module covers a variety of different subject areas including commonly held beliefs about mental health and pregnancy and characteristics of those women most at risk of severe mental illness.
It contains a series of online resources including videos and learning materials which can be accessed at any time, helping busy midwives and students to fit their training around their working day, as well as being a valuable resource in group and workshop education sessions.
It was launched at the RCM’s St David's Day Conference at Holland House in Cardiff.
Helen Rogers, RCM director for Wales, said: ‘The mental health of pregnant and postnatal women is too often neglected and overlooked, so this initiative is a major and positive step.
‘There is a real need to raise awareness of this issue among midwives and other health professionals and this toolkit will go a long way towards achieving this.
‘It is so important that we get the support and services in place for women, because the consequences of failing to do so can be disastrous.’
The training module is available to view here.
