Women's experience of maternal mental illness, stigma, and accessing mental health care

In recent years, mental illness in pregnant and postpartum women has become a public health concern. Untreated and undertreated maternal mental illness has a significant negative impact on not only the mother, but also on the baby and family. Further, many women do not seek help or access mental health care due to stigma surrounding mental illness, the unrealistic social expectations of motherhood, and the fear of being judged or rejected. An interpretive descriptive study informed by a feminist perspective was conducted with six postpartum women who sought maternal mental health care services. Semi-structured interviews provided an opportunity to explore women’s experiences of having a maternal mental illness, accessing care, and the role of stigma. Analysis focused on the bio-psycho-social dimensions of their experiences. A shared experience and meaning emerged: self stigma and expectations of motherhood, stigma and infertility, factors influencing self stigma, level of self-efficacy, and treatment satisfaction, engagement and outcome. Findings are discussed with reference to the current literature on maternal mental illness, stigma, and infertility. Findings are conceptualized using Brown’s (2006) Shame Resilience Theory, implications for practice are presented including women’s advice to other women, and recommendations for future research are made