1. Addressing Infant Mental Health in Maternal Mental Illness
MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCE, MAY 2017
Anne McFadyen

2. Addressing Infant Mental Health in Maternal Mental Illness
WHY?
HOW?

3. What do we mean by maternal mental illness?
Psychosis
Depression
Anxiety
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Eating Disorder
Personality Disorder
Substance Misuse
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

4. What impact do these have on the baby, and on the relationship?
Good evidence that baby is an active participant
Brain development in context of relationship
Mum’s mental health affects baby’s development eg Depression associated with language delay eg Impact of emotional neglect
BUT NOT NECESSARILY ENDURING OR INEVITABLE DAMAGE

6. Still Face (Tronick)

7. More information on our Healthy Start, Healthy Scotland Campaign, including the Briefing Paper and Action Plan for Perinatal and Infant Mental Health, can be found on our website.
You can also phone us for further information on

8. Promotion and Prevention LEVEL 2 VULNERABLE LEVEL 3
LEVEL 1
UNIVERSAL
Promotion and Prevention
LEVEL 2
VULNERABLE
LEVEL 3
Distress  Disturbance
Prevention and Care
LEVEL 4
Disturbance  Disorder
Target population
(refers to the mother and fetus/infant/ child, and other family members)
Whole population
Vulnerable populations, e.g., teenage pregnancy, socio-economic deprivation, domestic abuse, adverse childhood experiences, history of being looked after or accommodated, families of children born with disability
In parents: mild to moderate mental ill health, e.g., alcohol and substance misuse, depression and anxiety disorders managed in primary care
In infants/children: fetal alcohol effects, mild neurodevelopmental delay or disorder, prematurity, attachment disorder, mild to moderate mental ill health
In parents: moderate to severe mental ill health, e.g., current or past severe mental illness, alcohol and substance dep, complex personality difficulties
In infants/children: fetalalcoholsyndrome, moderate to severe neurodevelopmental delay or disorder, prematurity, attachment disorder, moderate to severe mental ill health

9. “So the midwife said to me …
that only half its brain’s developed and that the next half depends on us. You only get one shot of being a wee baby……”