11.04.17
This year’s International Day for Maternal Health we want to shed a light on depression, one of the most common mental health problems in Europe.
One in seven people may experience depression at some point in their lives and each of us may be affected. On this Day, Mental Health Europe (MHE), Make Mothers Matter (MMM) and the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) join forces to break the silence around one specific form of depression: post-partum depression.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 10-15% of women suffer from postpartum depression in Europe and worldwide, which occurs after having a baby. The impact on women and their families can be very challenging. The experience and feelings of postpartum depression are intense and should not be confused with the “baby blues”, a commonly used term to describe the worry and tiredness many women experience after giving birth.
What can Europe do? Affordable, accessible, quality maternal health care varies greatly between Member States. Our respective organisations call on the European Commission to ensure that the upcoming package on work-life balance is ambitious including legislative proposals such as a longer maternity and parental leave and a new paternity and carer’s leave directive addressing the root causes of ill health in mothers. We also suggest further research in the field of post-partum depression as well as the impact of obstetric violence on the psychological well-being of women as suggested by the WHO. It is also important to look into developing European-wide awareness-raising initiatives and guidelines on respectful and non-abusive care during childbirth which acknowledges the link between mental and physical health, respects human rights including the right of all mothers and their families to access appropriate and quality care and support.
For more information
05.02.23
UN New York, CSocD61 - The virtual event we are organizing as part of the 2023 UN Commission on Social Development will draw attention to the specificity of the situation
14.04.23
Make Mothers Matter, together with the city of Ypres, and its grass roots partners Mothers for Peace, Mama Kivu and the Vrouwenraad, is organizing an international peace Conference Women at
14.12.22
Despite the growing number of families headed by a single parent, single parents remain one of the most vulnerable groups when it comes to poverty, housing and energy deficits, and
23.11.23
On November 7th, we co-hosted an event at the EU Parliament on peripartum depression with MEP Maria Noichl.
13.11.23
Make Mothers Matter launched a new video series on Maternal Mental Health, addressing mothers, their families and society in general. Our aim is to highlight the latest research surrounding maternal health in o
09.10.23
In June this year, the European Union (EU) Commission announced a new high-priority initiative to address the mental health of all Europeans.
11.07.23
The EU Cost Action EurofamNet, of which Make Mothers Matter is a member, hosted its final conference entitled “European Forum on Family Support. Creating an Agenda for 2030” together with the Spanish Minist
27.06.23
MMM welcomes the European Commission’s new proposal addressing mental health and bringing a much-needed focus on various aspects of mental well-being. The proposal’s emphasis on mental health promotion, pr
31.03.23
Emotional intelligence is a vital skill that helps people build healthy and fulfilling relationships, maintain their mental health, make good decisions, and develop leadership skills. Unfortunately, emotional i