A new report has found that substandard mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers is creating long-term costs of more than £8 billion every year.
Researchers from the London School of Economics and the Centre for Mental Health charity looked specifically at the effects of maternal depression, anxiety and other illnesses. The authors said that the NHS would only need to spend a fraction of the predicted long-term cost a year to bring maternal mental health care up to recommended levels around the country. This would work out annually as around £337 million.
Commenting on the report, Dr Sue Thompson, research fellow at the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research at City University London, said:
"The need for evidence-based management of expectant and new mothers has been recognised for some time, and is reflected in our own work. The economic costs of perinatal mental illness are clearly substantial and the limited care provision available in the UK is disturbing.
"We welcome the recognition that pregnancy-associated mental health conditions are not confined simply to the post-natal period, and that there is a real need for a strategy in relation to identification and treatment of vulnerable women. This includes developing acceptable and accessible means of supporting expectant and new mothers who experience moderate forms of psychological distress without a psychiatric diagnosis.
"The Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research is collaborating with other institutions and with service users to develop cost-effective ways of identifying and supporting these women within current services."
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A new report has found that substandard mental health care for pregnant women and new mothers is creating long-term costs of more than £8 billion every year.
Researchers from the London School of Economics and the Centre for Mental Health charity looked specifically at the effects of maternal depression, anxiety and other illnesses. The authors said that the NHS would only need to spend a fraction of the predicted long-term cost a year to bring maternal mental health care up to recommended levels around the country. This would work out annually as around £337 million.
Commenting on the report, Dr Sue Thompson, research fellow at the Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research at City University London, said:
"The need for evidence-based management of expectant and new mothers has been recognised for some time, and is reflected in our own work. The economic costs of perinatal mental illness are clearly substantial and the limited care provision available in the UK is disturbing.
"We welcome the recognition that pregnancy-associated mental health conditions are not confined simply to the post-natal period, and that there is a real need for a strategy in relation to identification and treatment of vulnerable women. This includes developing acceptable and accessible means of supporting expectant and new mothers who experience moderate forms of psychological distress without a psychiatric diagnosis.
"The Centre for Maternal and Child Health Research is collaborating with other institutions and with service users to develop cost-effective ways of identifying and supporting these women within current services."
Explore further: First evidence that yoga can help keep expectant mothers stress free
Medical Xpress on facebook
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First evidence that yoga can help keep expectant mothers stress free
May 01, 2014
(Medical Xpress)—For the first time researchers in the UK have studied the effects of yoga on pregnant women, and found that it can reduce the risk of them developing anxiety and depression.
Classes reduce pregnancy complications for stressed mothers
Jun 27, 2014
(Medical Xpress)—Pregnant women with moderate to high levels of stress and anxiety are at higher risk for complications during pregnancy and delivery. However, Penn State researchers have developed an educational ...
Breastfeeding linked to lower risk of postnatal depression
Aug 20, 2014
(Medical Xpress)—A new study of over 10,000 mothers has shown that women who breastfed their babies were at significantly lower risk of postnatal depression than those who did not.
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Women with chronic physical illnesses are more likely to use mental health services than men with similar illnesses; they also seek out mental health services six months earlier than those same men, according to new study ...
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3 hours ago
A team of UC San Francisco researchers has found that a tiny segment of genetic material known as a microRNA plays a central role in the transition from moderate drinking to binge drinking and other alcohol use disorders.
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Adults typically believe that life gets better—today is better than yesterday was and tomorrow will be even better than today. A new study shows that even depressed individuals believe in a brighter future, but this optimistic ...
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