Further resources on perinatal mental health problems

Please note we do not check or monitor these services, Please follow the links to the website first to check full services are offered.

• Royal College of Psychiatrists: Information on all the mental health conditions that can occur around pregnancy and childbirth. Go to the mental health section of the website, then the Support, Care and Treatment option.
• Maternal Mental Health Alliance: A UK-wide charity and network of over 100 organisations, dedicated to ensuring women and families affected by perinatal mental problems have access to high-quality comprehensive care and support. We bring the maternal mental health community together and make change happen by combining the power of real-life experience with clinical and professional expertise.
• Open House: Supporting those who are or have been affected by any psychological and emotional condition which has developed during pregnancy or during the postnatal period.
• Planning a pregnancy when you have a severe mental health illness
• Mind: Provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. Explains postnatal depression and other perinatal mental health problems, including possible causes, treatments and support options. Also has information for friends and family, including support and advice for partners.
• Anxiety UK: Provides information, support and understanding via an extensive range of services, including 1:1 therapy. The charity is run by people with lived experience of anxiety, stress or anxiety-based depression. Opening hours: 9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday. 10am to 8pm weekends. Tel: 03444 775 774 Text: 07537 416 905
• NoPanic: A totally voluntary charity, whose aims are to aid the relief and rehabilitation of those people suffering from panic attacks, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorders, related anxiety disorders, including tranquilliser withdrawal, and to provide support to sufferers and their families. Helpline: 0844 967 4848 Everyday 10am to 10pm Crisis number 01952 680835 - This is a recorded message available 24 hours.
• Action on Postpartum Psychosis: Peer Support network helps women and families affected by postpartum psychosis (PP) feel understood, supported and less isolated.
• Association of postnatal Illness:  Helpline: 10am to 2pm. Tel: 0207 386 0868 Email: info@apni.org.
• Best beginnings: Free NHS-accredited Baby Buddy app Offering evidence-based information and self-care tools to help parents during pregnancy and early stages of parenting. App users also have access to a confidential, text-based Crisis Messenger which provides 24/7 support for new and expectant parents who are feeling extremely anxious or overwhelmed.
• Maternal OCD: A charity co-founded by two mothers, who have experienced and recovered from extreme perinatal obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
• Netmums: Netmums offer peer support via their Maternal Mental Health Drop-In Clinic.
• PANDAS: Offer hope, empathy and support for every parent or network affected by perinatal mental illness, has a helpline and online support groups.
• It takes balls to talk: Support for males struggling with mental health.
• Respect: (Men’s advice line) 0808 801 0327 (Monday to Friday 9-5)
• ReThink: Provides expert, accredited advice and information to everyone affected by mental health problems. They give clear, relevant information on everything from treatment and care to benefits and employment rights.
• Twins Trust: Twinline is Twins Trust’s listening service for parents of twins, triplets and more. All the calls are answered by volunteers who have multiples themselves. Twinline is open Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and from 7pm to 10pm. 0800 138 0509, alternatively email asktwinline@twinstrust.org.
• Tommy’s: Tommy’s has a team of in-house midwives who offer free support and information for women and their families at any stage of pregnancy and after the birth.Helpline: Tommy’s helpline has been closed temporarily but their midwives are answering questions via email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: midwife@tommys.org
• PTSD: A UK charity dedicated to provide support and information for anyone experiencing PTSD.
• Beat is the UK’s eating disorder charity. Helpline: 0808 801 0677 Email: help@beateatingdisorders.org.uk
• CALM: A UK based charity offering mental health support to everyone with all types of mental health problems. Opening Hours: 5pm to Midnight, call: 0800 58 58 58
• Mind Infoline: This phone line is a useful source of information for types of mental health problems, where to get help; medication and alternative treatments; and advocacy. Opening hours: 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays). Call: 0300 123 3393, Text: 86463.
• Self Injury Support: Self-injury/self-harm support for women and girls - helpline, information and training. Telephone, email and text support, leaflets, publications and training.
• SANE: SANE is a leading UK mental health charity improving quality of life for anyone affected by mental illness - including family friends and carers. Opening hours: 4.30pm to 10.30pm, daily. Call: 0300 304 700.

 

Birth Trauma

Make Birth Better are a collective bringing together lived experiences and professional knowledge of birth trauma and vicarious trauma.  They have a range of training and resources available:

• Make Birth Better
• Birth Trauma Asssociation
• London Trauma Specialists - PTSD Self Help Guide
• UNFOLD YOUR WINGS - Hope and Support for Birth Trauma and Perinatal PTSD
• Birth Trauma Tree

 

Trans fertility

• Trans Fertility
• Parenting Queer - Pregnancy Advice
• Support for Trans and Non Binary People During Pregnancy Birth and the Postnatal Period

 

Pregnancy and COVID-19

For anyone currently struggling to manage anxiety during the Coronavirus outbreak, please see out self-help guide here:

• London Trauma Specialists - Coronavirus - Managing Anxiety 
• Support when mums need it most perinatal mental health support during Covid-19 and beyond

 

Pregnancy and Loss

• Writers sharing experiences of child loss Child Loss and Infertility | Still Standing Magazine
• Sands - Stillbirth and neonatal death charity
• Together, for every baby - Tommy's

 

Survivors of sexual abuse

• Pregnancy, Birth and Parenthood: Memories of sexual abuse can be triggered by pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Sometimes pregnancy can be the catalyst for women accessing support regarding their own past traumas for the first time. This is a resource that has been developed in a collaboration between women with lived experience of sexual abuse and Kings College London. This is a very powerful resource and women may need some additional support in thinking about some of the issues raised. 
• The Survivors Trust
• All 4 Maternity: Pregnancy, birth and parenthood after childhood sexual abuse.