Dr. Anthony McCarthy:

The terms "mental health problems" and "mental illness" are broad. In general, 11% of women get what is called postnatal depression. It is not a thing, but a label to highlight that after the birth of the baby is an extremely vulnerable time for a woman's mental health. It is a peak time for many reasons. I could spend an hour telling the Deputy about why it is such a poignant and vulnerable time for women with mental health problems.

According to some research, if women are asked to fill in a questionnaire during pregnancy, a higher percentage, perhaps 20%, will say that they are struggling. The most important message is that there is no decrease in mental health difficulties during pregnancy. In general, between 5% and 7% of women will have a significant mental health problem at that time. That does not lessen or increase overall. It may get much worse for an individual woman but much better for another. After the birth of the baby, the figure increases to approximately 11%. They have what is called postnatal depression, but for 3.5%, it is a serious problem.