Deputy Prime Minister Kate Forbes has revealed her “astonishment” at how little is known about postnatal depression.
The Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP, who has spoken out in the past about her own experience of the disease, also admitted her shock at the lack of resources and research into pregnancy and women’s health issues.
In a new podcast, she also suggests that frontline workers such as midwives could benefit from additional training to support mothers’ mental health immediately after birth.
Ms. Forbes, who gave birth to her daughter Naomi in August 2022, spoke candidly in the first episode of the Podcast Talking about suicide from Mikeysline, a mental health charity in Inverness.
She said: “I am still shocked by the lack of understanding of an issue that affects so many people.
“I am truly shocked at how little resources and research there are on pregnancy and women’s health issues during and around pregnancy, considering the impact it has on thousands and thousands of women.
“Not many years ago this would have been dismissed as postpartum blues.
“For some women it’s a day that comes and goes, an emotional challenge and for others it quickly becomes extremely serious. I have to congratulate NHS Highland, the midwives and the doctors – they really couldn’t have done more and I think that’s rare from what other women have told me.”
Ms. Forbes shared more details about her struggle with this crippling condition and the feeling that her baby would be better off without it.
“I got home and that’s when the night terrors and day terrors started,” she said.
“I was overcome with fear for the baby’s health. I assumed that I would be the person causing him pain and suffering and therefore it would have been better for me to be somewhere else.”
She said she was convinced someone was going to harm them.
“I was going to take a shower, but I had to take a shower for 30 seconds because I was convinced that someone was going to come into the bathroom with a machete or something. It’s absurd, but there are no facts that can counteract what one believes so firmly,” she said.
“As a politician, I guess I’m a pro at making people smile and giving the right answer, regardless of how you feel inside. I did that for a while and still couldn’t sleep at all.
“Within a week I couldn’t even speak without crying and everything came out.”
When her husband, Ali MacLennan, read out a list of symptoms of postpartum depression and then her midwife intervened, Ms Forbes realised what was happening.
Image source, Ruaraidh White
She said on the podcast that she wanted to speak out about her experience because of the number of women who go through the same thing and “the number of women who don’t get help and where that leads them.”
Having spent her career at the top of her game and being well prepared for anything, she said the reality of becoming a mother was nothing like expectations.
A difficult and traumatic birth left her feeling out of control.
She said: “I thought if I just kept breathing, kept moving, kept staying positive and in control, everything would be okay.
“But I didn’t count on the baby’s heart almost disappearing, I didn’t count on the baby starting to lose blood, I didn’t count on the room being full of professionals and I didn’t count on interventions: you start to see the experience of being out of control.”
Speaking to the podcast, published on Thursday, Kate Forbes said she felt a cultural shift was needed to make a difference, including reforming her own government services.
The guidelines, developed by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS), included versions for both patients and healthcare professionals in a bid to improve care and reduce stigma.
Ms Forbes said: “We’ve been on a journey in terms of the funding invested and the recruitment required, but I also think there’s something there in making every topic a bit about mental health as well.
“A midwife is trained to assist births, not necessarily to support the mother’s mental health, but she is probably also in the best position to support the mother’s mental health immediately after birth and look for signs.”
She also suggested “refresher training” for frontline workers so they can support new mothers.
“This is a principle that applies: if you have been through a cancer diagnosis, who supports you with the mental health impact? If you have been through bereavement, who is the first point of contact to support you with the mental health aspect?
“There is something there in terms of additional training for frontline workers that will support them through the substance of the matter and then help them deal with the consequences of it.”
