Action needed to prevent maternal suicide, says new report
More training and education is needed to tackle rising rates of suicide among pregnant women and new mothers, says a group of campaigners and charities led jointly by Tommy’s and Sands.
The call comes in a report from the Maternity Consortium, published on World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September). It recommends a review of current national policy and support related to suicide prevention during pregnancy and after birth.
The most recent figures from MBRRACE-UK show that in 2020, women were three times more likely to die by suicide during pregnancy, or up to six weeks after the end of pregnancy, compared with 2017-2019.
The Maternity Consortium report, Understanding lived experience of suicidality during the perinatal period, draws on insights from 49 people who had thought about taking their own life or self-harmed while pregnant or soon afterwards. All were interviewed by the Maternal Mental Health Alliance or local community groups between January and March 2024.
Support and advice was provided throughout by the Samaritans.
Those taking part had experiences of domestic abuse, substance use and other forms of trauma. They were asked about the support and services they received and what could have been improved.
One participant highlighted the difference between the advice given about physical health during pregnancy and the advice about mental health.
“At every midwife appointment I was reminded about the symptoms of pre-eclampsia, told what to look out for in terms of reduced movements, and given information on countless ‘what-if’ scenarios related to my physical health. Never did anyone tell me what to look out for in terms of my mental health. If they had, maybe my story would have been different.”
Another described their fear at the potential consequences of sharing how they felt.
“I was so terrified that if I said I was feeling suicidal social services would be called, that I never told anyone until I was really unwell. If I’d known about how much support was available, and how common mental health [difficulties] can be, I’d have spoken up sooner.”
The report says training should be updated to ensure all professionals who have contact with pregnant women and new mothers are aware of suicidal ideation during pregnancy and soon after birth.
It says: “Topics of particular importance include understanding trauma, substance use, domestic abuse and neurodivergence, and the skills of compassionate communication...
“Rather than feeling anxious about ‘scaring’ new mothers by sharing facts around maternal mental health and suicide, open and authentic conversations should be had at a frequency whereby speaking about mental health becomes the norm.”
The Maternity Consortium, jointly led by Tommy’s and Sands, is part of the Government’s Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Health and Wellbeing Alliance, which brings together health and care organisations with expertise in different sectors.
Kate Davies, Associate Director of Information and Support at Tommy’s, said:
“We hope this report will inspire commissioners and providers of maternity services to review their training and support around mental health in pregnancy and afterwards, and to make improvements if needed.
“Everyone involved in caring for pregnant women, birthing people and new mothers should be aware of the risk of perinatal suicide and the factors that can make some more vulnerable than others, as well as being equipped to provide – or signpost to – the best possible support.”
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