Integrate
Build maternal mental health into the general maternal health system, rather than running it alongside.
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Maternal Mental Health
Mental health support for new and expectant mothers, built into the maternal health system.
This project integrates maternal mental health into general maternal health services, builds health literacy among providers and service users, expands access to community-based maternal mental health programmes, and establishes a referral pathway for counselling and support.
Why it matters
WHO estimates that about 10% of women experience depression during pregnancy, and about 13% after childbirth. This affects the attachment between mother and child — an essential factor in healthy physical and cognitive development. Maternal mental illness has a significant negative impact on a child's growth and development.
Lagos State is not unaware of these issues. Its mental health agenda commits to every citizen having access to effective and sustainable mental health services. The Lagos State Maternal Mental Health project was initiated to integrate mental health into the general maternal health system and deliver sustainable, efficient programmes to new and expectant mothers across the State.
Objectives
Four things this project sets out to do
Educate
Increase health literacy among both health providers and the women using the service.
Expand
Widen the availability of and access to evidence-based community maternal mental health programmes.
Refer
Ensure an effective referral pathway exists for counselling and ongoing support.
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