Swann urged to set up mother and baby mental health unit
- Published
Women protest at Castle Buildings, Stormont, on Monday about the lack of a dedicated perinatal mental health unit in Northern Ireland
An appeal to establish a dedicated Mother and Baby Perinatal Mental Health Unit was delivered to the health minister n Monday.
Individual women, charities and other organisations handed over a public letter urging Robin Swann to act.
Northern Ireland is the only place in the UK which has no dedicated in-patient service for women with serious post-partum mental health issues.
The units admit mothers with their babies so that they can be with them.
About 70 women a year in Northern Ireland are admitted to hospital with post-partum psychosis.
The health minister approved some funding for perinatal mental health last year.
However, no decision has been made on in-patient services.
Alex Crickmay-Snodden was admitted to hospital two years ago suffering from post-natal depression and dissociation.
"I woke up one morning and the baby that was in the Moses basket was not my son - it wasn't his hair colour, wasn't his face," she said.
"I wouldn't go near the baby. I was mad that someone had swapped their child on me so I refused to have anything to do with him.
"My husband said 'You have to look after your child' and I said: 'That's not my child.'"
Alex Crickmay-Snodden was admitted to hospital with post-natal depression
Ms Crickmay-Snodden's GP and a mental-health team decided she needed to be admitted to hospital.
However, she could not bring her eight-month-old son Oscar with her.
"I'd already been in hospital in quarantine in the maternity ward. That is an awful experience," she said.
"It was very distressing for me to get admitted into hospital and to then be told no children are allowed in.
"That probably derailed me even more. So I was so upset I couldn't even think about looking after myself at that stage."
Doctors then decided Ms Crickmay-Snodden could have a supervised visit with Oscar and her husband.
"Not seeing him, I wasn't progressing I was getting sicker and sicker because I was so upset about not seeing him and the things that we were supposed to be doing together," she said.
Two years on and their relationship is how it should be.
"He is thriving now, a wonderful little boy, being able to have him around me, letting him touch and cuddle me, play with me all of that I could do again which had been stripped away," Ms Crickmay-Snodden said.
"I really don't know why we're so behind and why all four countries surrounding us have this kind of facility in place… we are lacking completely."
"It's like we don't care what happens once you've had the child. So many mothers and babies could have been treated better and deserve to be treated better and aren't."
Monday is World Mental Health Day.
New regional service
Meanwhile, the Department of Health has announced a new regional mental-health service for Northern Ireland.
The aim is to provide "equitable" access to "high quality" services no matter where people live.
For instance, at present, access to mental-health services including for eating and personality disorders are patchy.
However, organising all services from a regional level will help address waiting lists for people no matter what their address.
The big difference is that a new board is being established to oversee the regional service and to ensure it delivers what was promised under Northern Ireland's mental-health strategy.
Most facilities will continue to be run by the voluntary sector and local health trusts.
According to the department, it is hoped the plan will help improve leadership and direction for all those who rely upon and work in the mental health system.