Support and services for perinatal low mood and depression: A qualitative study exploring women’s and healthcare professionals' experiences.

Abstract

This study aimed to explore women's experiences of support and care received from maternity healthcare professionals for perinatal low mood or depression, and healthcare professionals' experiences of providing support and care for women experiencing perinatal low mood or depression. In this qualitative study, face-to-face individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 15 women and 19 healthcare professionals living or working in Yorkshire and the Humber, England in 2019. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data. The following themes were identified: 1) Lack of standardisation in identification and support for perinatal low mood and depression; 2) Unclear and non-standardised pathways for perinatal low mood and depression; 3) Enablers and barriers of receiving support and care for perinatal low mood and depression. Providing training opportunities for healthcare professionals, especially midwives, may be helpful for filling the grey area for women who do not need a referral to mental health services but require support from healthcare professionals. Improving the variety of psychological therapies for the treatment of perinatal depression may also be helpful to meet women's expectations of treatments.