New Report Released for Post-Natal Depression Awareness Week
Further research into the economic impact of perinatal depression was launched on 19 November by Minister for Mental Health Mark Butler, as Post-Natal Depression Awareness Week activities kicked off around the country.
View by date:
Previous MinistersPDF printable version of New Report Released for Post-Natal Depression Awareness Week (PDF 213 KB)
19 November 2012
Further research into the economic impact of perinatal depression was launched today in Canberra by Minister for Mental Health Mark Butler, as Post-Natal Depression Awareness Week activities kick off around the country.
Mr Butler congratulated beyondblue on their new report, and highlighted the importance of providing information and early intervention for new parents.
“Being a new mum or dad can be the most rewarding experience of one’s life, but it can also be an enormously challenging time for many parents.”
“I congratulate beyondblue for their continued work to bring perinatal depression out of the shadows and their efforts to raise awareness about the impact of this issue for the wider community,” Mr Butler said.
The report commissioned by beyondblue reveals the long-lasting impact of perinatal depression on the community if left untreated, and complements the analysis commissioned by PANDA last week which details the costs of providing treatment for postnatal depression and anxiety for a one year period.
Together the reports provide a holistic picture of the overall costs of perinatal mental health disorders.
The Federal Labor Government, in partnership with the states and territories introduced the first ever National Perinatal Depression Initiative in 2010 with $85 million to improve screening, support and treatment services.
“That initiative has seen us take big strides in terms of community awareness, introducing universal screening and providing better support services including by the expansion of the Access to Allied Psychological Services program,” Mr Butler said.
“With these investments the Government is seeking to improve prevention and early detection of antenatal and postnatal depression, as well as providing better support and treatment for parents and expectant parents experiencing depression.”
“The Government’s record $2.2 billion mental health reform plan also provides increased supports for people with mental health issues including those dealing with postnatal depression such as the $206 million boost to allied psychological services."
Mr Butler also launched three new beyondblue resources for pregnant women, mothers and their families on health and wellbeing during pregnancy and early parenthood. The resources were developed under the National Perinatal Depression Initiative.
For a copy of the resources and full report visit the beyondblue website or call the beyondblue info line 1300 22 4636.
For more information contact the minister’s office on 02 6277 7280
Help with accessing large documents
When accessing large documents (over 500 KB in size), it is recommended that the following procedure be used:
- Click the link with the RIGHT mouse button
- Choose "Save Target As.../Save Link As..." depending on your browser
- Select an appropriate folder on a local drive to place the downloaded file
Attempting to open large documents within the browser window (by left-clicking)
may inhibit your ability to continue browsing while the document is
opening and/or lead to system problems.
Help with accessing PDF documents
To view PDF (Portable Document Format) documents, you will need to have a PDF reader installed on your computer. A number of PDF readers are available through the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO) Web Guide website.