Close to 551,000 people in the UK are managing a mental health condition.  A large proportion of these are women who may be contemplating pregnancy or are at risk of unplanned pregnancy.

A partnership, comprising Tommy’s, Public Health England, NHS England and King’s College London, has developed a set of supportive resources for women with mental health conditions who are planning a pregnancy or may wish to become pregnant in the future.

Mental health conditions can refer to a wide range of conditions. The new resources have been developed to specifically offer support to those who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, severe depression and psychosis. They aim to help women with SMI make informed decisions around when to get pregnant, what to watch out for and how their condition could be treated before, during and after pregnancy.

The resources include new online information and support hub for anyone with severe mental illness (SMI) planning a pregnancy, as well as practical guidance for the frontline healthcare professionals who support them. Tommy’s has also updated their Planning for Pregnancy tool so that users with severe mental illness get specific tailored advice.

#PregnancyInformation #SupportWithMentalHealth #TryingToConceive #ttc #Preconception #TryingForABaby #FreeResources #MentalHealthMatters

 

Here are Top 5 tips for anyone planning a pregnancy with a diagnosed mental health condition, click on the video below:

The iHV is delighted to be able to share the outputs from working with Greater Manchester and North West Coast iHV PIMH Champions Forum, the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London and others to develop the research base for eating disorders in the perinatal period. We are excited to be supporting the launch of the “Eating Disorders in Pregnancy” animation through a training event on 28 February 2018 (during Eating Disorders week).

Eating Disorders are a serious mental illness, characterised by disturbance of eating that significantly impairs health and psychosocial functioning.

They include:

  • Anorexia Nervosa
  • Bulimia Nervosa
  • Binge Eating Disorder
  • and Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorders

They are often associated with depression and anxiety, and have a number of physical, health complications as well.

Eating Disorders can affect people of all ages, gender and cultural background. It is thought that around 7% of women are thought to have an eating disorder in pregnancy and they can have serious consequences for the mother and her baby.

Health visitors are ideally placed to identify and support pregnant women and new mothers who have eating disorders. Involvement with families, right from the antenatal period through until children reach school age, enables a unique opportunity to build strong therapeutic relationships offering the continuity of care that mothers say they want from their healthcare professionals.

The “Eating Disorders in Pregnancy” training event, including the animation launch, is free to attend and we very much look forward to seeing you there!

Event details

Date: 28 February 2018

Time: 4pm – 6pm

NEW VENUE: the event has been moved to a larger venue so that more people can attend

Wolfson Lecture Theatre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London,
16 De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF

To book your free place