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Mental distress

Digitally enabled perinatal mental health programmes' role in contemporary maternity care

02 April 2024
Professional
02 April 2024
Volume 32 · Issue 4

Abstract

This article explores the use of digitally enabled programmes to support perinatal mental healthcare in the NHS. Focusing on the Perinatal Wellbeing Programme from SilverCloud® by Amwell®, participant experiences drawn from published case studies are considered. With mental health conditions recognised as a continued and significant cause of maternal death in the UK, the need for innovative, flexible and effective interventions and support has never been more important. Exploring the place of digitally enabled programmes in contemporary midwifery practice, and the need for further evidence of their efficacy, this article continues the discourse of a previously published article on digital mental health platforms.

Mental health conditions continue to account for a significant portion of maternal deaths in the UK; in the most recent MBRRACE-UK report, mental health conditions accounted for 10% of maternal deaths (Knight et al, 2023). This report emphasised that pregnant, recently pregnant and breastfeeding women must be treated in the same way as a non-pregnant person, unless there is a very clear reason not to. This reduces the risk of missed diagnosis or treatment where symptoms may be attributed to a benign perinatal cause. This situation was highlighted recently in relation to breast cancer occurring during pregnancy (Bakhuis et al, 2023), and is further emphasised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (2023) conditionally recommending eight digitally enabled therapies to treat depression and anxiety in adults. However, this does not make specific mention of their use in the perinatal period. This article continues the discourse of a previously published article (Gournay et al, 2023), which explored digital mental health platforms.

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Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy
Digital
Mental health
Perinatal
Wellbeing