Perinatal depression

03/26/24 • 32 min

Perinatal depression is one of the most common illnesses to affect people during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Its effects can be devastating and, if left untreated, it can have a huge impact on women and their families.
In this episode we are joined by Leanne Howlett to talk about her experience of perinatal depression, and her incredible work as a nurse in a perinatal mental health service.
If you would like more information about the issues discussed in this episode, here are some useful resources:

Content advisory: this episode contains content that might be distressing to some listeners, including content about self harm and suicide.

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health difficulties, there is lots of help available. You can contact your primary care provider in the first instance, or if you are based in the UK the NHS perinatal mental health website will help you to find support in your local area.

Content advisory: this episode contains content that might be distressing to some listeners, including content about self harm and suicide.

Previous Episode

The good enough mother

Donald Winnicott was a paediatrician and psychoanalyst whose work had a profound influence on our understanding of psychological development. In today’s episode, Lynsey and Chrissy discuss Winnicott’s concept of the good enough mother and the importance of parent-infant relationships for healthy psychological development.
If you would like to learn more about Winnicott’s work, we wholeheartedly recommend reading some of his original work: The Child, the Family, and the Outside World is a great place to start.

Next Episode

Gender disappointment

“Is it a boy or a girl!?”

Some parents experience sadness, distress, and feelings of shame when their baby’s gender does not match their preferences and expectations. In this episode, Lynsey and Chrissy discuss the individual, social, and cultural aspects of gender preference and gender disappointment.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, you can read Chrissy’s open-access paper here: ‘It's a girl!’ Is gender disappointment a mental health or sociocultural issue? | BJPsych Bulletin

Beyond Baby Blues - Perinatal depression

Transcript

📍
hey, everyone. Lynsey here. Just letting you know that this episode contains content that might be distressing for some of our, listeners, including descriptions of depression and suicidal thoughts. If you don't want to hear it, that's totally fine. In which case I would suggest that you skip the second half of the episode. And if you need support, we've put some information and links in the show notes to point you in the right direction.
Thanks for listening. And please take car