Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Special Interest Group
The ACMHN Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH) Special Interest Group (SIG) is for mental health nurses and other interested people in the field of perinatal and infant mental health.
Perinatal mental health describes the emotional and psychological wellbeing of parents and their baby from the time of conception up until one year postnatally. This period of time for most families can be one of immense joy, however, this is not the case for everyone. For some parents adjusting to pregnancy and parenting can be distressing and stressful. This can lead to a range of emotions that can advance to perinatal depression, anxiety, and or other related conditions. If left untreated depression and or anxiety can affect the health of women, their partner, their babies and the family dyad.
Mental health nurses provide a wealth of knowledge and are well positioned to provide mental health support to women and families during the perinatal period. This is achieved by providing but not limited to specialist mental health assessment and treatment recommendations, brief psychological intervention, and lifestyle and emotional health issues.
Resources
Centre of Perinatal Excellence guidelines
This guideline provides a reliable reference for health professionals providing care to women in the perinatal period. It aims to improve a woman’s experience of pregnancy and early parenthood, her emotional wellbeing, her safety, and outcomes for all families.