Help for postnatal depression, NHS

[WhatAFunnyPotato]

A friend with a young baby has been feeling very depressed and feels she is struggling. Without wanting to go into detail here, i agree she could benefit from some help.

Following advice, she got an appointment with her health visitor who came over to her house. However, the HV said she was 'not depressed enough' to qualify for any counselling, and when my friend asked how depressed she had to be, the HV said, 'You'd have to be suicidal'.....

Now, I've checked the NICE guidance on this and know she's wrong. Obviously local NHS trusts ration care in different ways, but IMO this HV's attitude is potentially very damaging.

Can anyone here guide me to the correct criteria for getting NHS help for PND (if it exists) and an idea of how to move forward from here?

No idea am afraid, hopefully someone will be along soon to help

BUT

I am stunned that a HV told her she wasn't depressed enough to be helped and would need to be suicidal. WT actual F? That is shocking (and I would be surprised - and despairing - if it is actually true).

PS I would suggest making an app

Woops

Appointment with GP urgently. Mine is lovely and at post natal checks has always been very on top of asking questions in that area to see how I was doing (I looked particularly haggard and stressed both times!) and I would imagine they would be able to point in the right direction.

Best of luck, really hope your friend gets some support, being a mummy is a massive adjustment.

Thanks, it is shocking. Have suggested a GP appt so we'll see how that goes.

Definitely v bad advice from HV, go to see the gp. They will refer to the counselling people and then she will get a call. It is true they prioritise the most serious cases, and in my case I was fortunate that I found my own support group.

There are other people she can speak to however that will help. Try Hluse of Light or Pandas. They have websites with telephone numbers to call if you need to speak to someone. Hope she gets some help and advice soon

House of Light sorry

Thanks Special, very useful. I do appreciate more serious cases will - and should - get priority. My friend is lucky in that she's very aware she has a problem and needs help, and has reached out. Not everyone can/does.

Did the HV do the edinburgh scale test with her? I think mine did it every week with me. The counselling service almost do a kind of triage thing in my area where they assess you, to decide whether you're a priority.

Try the local NCT group too. Sometimes they have local PND support meetings they setup.

I found the best thing that helped me was talking to other mothers who had PND or felt-down. It made me feel that I wasn't alone and that other people felt that way, and also that it would get better in time.

If the GP feels she needs it, then they may prescribe AD's, which can help her get back onto a more even keel, then it's easier to deal with the day.

I agree, the hardest part is saying you think you need help. If she feels like she needs help, then that's the first step towards things getting better

Homesstart are a befriending service which sends trained volunteers into mums homes to support them.
I had a volunteer for dd and have requested one for ds as I have pnd again.
Wonderful service.