PMHP at the Artscape 

Celebrating Women’s Day and Women’s Month, the 8th Women’s Humanity Arts Festival will take place at Artscape Theatre Centre from 6 - 9 August 2014. The theme of the 2014 festival is HUMANITY and the objective this year is to celebrate and salute those women who actively strive to better their own lives and the lives of countless other women in our society today.  The Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) is honoured to take part in this very important event to highlight the impact of mental health on the well-being and development of women and their babies. The PMHP is a non-profit entity that has been operating for nearly 12 years, in partnership with the Departments of Health and Social Development. We provide mental health services for pregnant and postnatal women, train those who work with mothers to improve the quality of their care, form partnerships to promote the scale up of services and inform global interventions through robust research and advocacy. We envision mental health support for all mothers to promote their well-being, and that of their children and communities. Our mission is to develop and advocate for accessible maternal mental health care that can be delivered effectively at scale in low resource settings. On the 9th August, Dr. Simone Honikman, the PMHP founder and director will host a discussion together with one of the projects former clients, who works as a psychologist in the HIV sector.   Furthermore the PMHP will host a display table providing further information about the project.  

About the Discussion: Why Maternal Mental Health matters? Pregnancy and the postnatal period is a psychologically distressing period for many women, particularly those facing social challenges like poverty, gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS. The prevalence of common maternal mental disorders (including depression and anxiety) in low-income communities in South Africa is very high. One out of three women in South Africa suffers from depression during or after pregnancy. When left untreated, mental illness can contribute to maternal mortality, poor maternal and child health, and consequently, negative development outcomes. In response to this problem, the Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) was started in 2002. The mission of the PMHP is to develop and advocate for accessible maternal mental health care that can be delivered effectively at scale in low resource settings. Simone Honikman, founder and director of the PMHP, will present on maternal mental health as an integral part of maternal health!