If a woman has a complex or severe mental health problem during her pregnancy or post-birth, she could get help from community mental health teams. These services offer psychiatric and psychological assessments and care.

The team also provides advice for women with a current or past complex or severe mental health problem who are planning a pregnancy.

The team offers assessments, therapeutic supports and group activities. We involve partners as well as families in our intervention strategies.

The Perinatal Community Mental Health Services team is part of a wider system of care working with women and families. Service partners are crucial as part of supporting good mental health. The team works with midwives, health visitors, specialist midwives, family partnership nurses, social services and other social and health care agencies. This helps to identify potential issues requiring specialist support. We can refer people to the appropriate services.

We treat the following conditions:   

• Ante-natal depression, anxiety, OCD and other symptoms which may not have been present before the pregnancy.
• Women with longstanding and enduring conditions including Bipolar Disorder, Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Schizophrenia, Psychosis, Eating Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other conditions.
• Women who experience post-natal depression, psychosis, OCD, severe anxieties, PTSD and other conditions. They may not have had any mental health concerns before giving birth.