At Small Thing we know that parenting can be the hardest job in the world, and that being a mum (or dad) for the first time can be completely overwhelming. If you are struggling with your mental health you don't need to feel alone, there is absolutely no shame in asking for help. You are not a robot. PANDAS are here to offer help and support.
Who are PANDAS?
PANDAS Foundation is a UK wide support service for families suffering prenatal/antenatal and postnatal mental health issues.
Their aim is to make sure no parent, family or carer feels alone. They offer free support services for every family, through free helplines, a text support service, email service, closed groups for both parents, group support and motivational media channels.
They are inclusive, and if you want to discuss perinatal mental health there is no limit to how old your child may be.
They believe nobody suffering any form of mental illness should feel they’re on their own.
You will most probably have heard of postnatal depression (PND) but there are also other conditions associated with maternal mental health. Perinatal mental health (PMH) concerns a woman’s emotional and psychological wellbeing during pregnancy and up to around three years after giving birth.
PMH conditions include pre and postnatal depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and birth trauma.
It’s important to seek help as soon as you can, if you think you or someone you know might be affected by any of these conditions.
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Prenatal depression
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Postnatal depression
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Perinatal mental health
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Birth trauma
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Anxiety
Find out more about these conditions
Did you know?...1 in 4 women will experience a diagnosed perinatal mental illness
- 1 in 10 men will experience a diagnosed perinatal mental illness
- 25-50% of men whose partner has had perinatal mental illness will go on to experience one themselves
- Maternal death is still the number one cause of death through suicide during the first year of maternity (info from Institute of Health Visiting, 2017) 25% of parents are still experiencing depression related to pre and post maternity over the one-year period
(RC Pysch Org, 2019)