Lead

New and expectant parents in Australia are being encouraged to seek professional help for perinatal anxiety and depression, as new free services expand across the country. Recent openings in Victoria and the Northern Territory aim to close gaps in mental health support, which advocates say leave many parents struggling alone.

Coverage Comparison

Two reports from ABC Australia highlight the need for perinatal mental health services, focusing on different regions. One story centres on a new clinic in Berry Springs in the Northern Territory, while another covers a service opened at Monash Medical Centre in Victoria. Both reports draw on personal stories to illustrate the challenges parents face and emphasize the importance of seeking support.

Key Claims

Prevalence of Perinatal Mental Health Issues

Organisations such as Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) have quoted research showing that about one in five women in Australia experience depression or anxiety during the perinatal period, which spans pregnancy and the year following birth. The same research indicates that about one in 10 expecting or new fathers experience these conditions.

Barriers to Seeking Help

A survey completed last year by Gidget Foundation Australia, a not-for-profit perinatal support service provider, found that 25 per cent of new parents in Victoria were unsure how to access professional support, while 33 per cent believed their symptoms were not severe enough to warrant professional help. The survey also found that parents from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities were more unlikely to seek help, with more than half of respondents assuming their symptoms were not severe enough to warrant seeking help.

New Services in Victoria

A new free perinatal mental health service opened at Monash Medical Centre in May. The federal government has funded the service, as reported by ABC Australia. The clinic is part of a broader effort to support new and expectant parents.

New Service in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory has the lowest availability of psychologists in the country and the highest suicide rate, according to ABC Australia. A new mental health service opened in Berry Springs to support expectant and new parents, funded jointly by the federal government and Gidget Foundation Australia, a charity that has opened 34 similar services in other states. The clinic plans to see 700 patients a year through face-to-face and telehealth appointments.

Federal Funding and Expansion

The federal government has committed $40 million to opening more Gidget services across the country, as reported by ABC Australia. This funding aims to expand access to perinatal mental health support, particularly in underserved areas.

Perspectives

Parent Experiences

Young mother-of-two Natalya Wallace, who used a Gidget Foundation service in rural Queensland, described how the support helped her overcome severe mental health struggles after a uterine rupture during the birth of her second daughter. She said she narrowly survived the ordeal and was left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), flashbacks, anxiety, panic attacks, sleeplessness, and crushing fear. "I was so worried that if I fell asleep I wasn't going to wake up," she said, adding that in rural and remote areas, "you sort of have to put up with it and think: Maybe it is baby blues?"

Melbourne lawyer Chenzi Dong, who migrated to Australia from China, described feeling desperate after giving birth to her son. She said hearing the baby cry would make her tense up, and she felt guilty when the baby was sick or uncomfortable. She also noted that her family's attention was often entirely on her son, and she felt neglected: "Rarely does anyone ask about how I'm doing... They don't really care about my emotions or feelings." Ms Dong said she did not know where to turn for professional help and often pushed her feelings aside.

Expert and Advocacy Perspective

ABC Australia reports that experts and organisations encourage parents to seek help for perinatal mental health issues, highlighting the importance of support services in closing gaps. The reports note that services like those provided by Gidget Foundation Australia are designed to help parents who might otherwise struggle alone.