Background
It is difficult to know exactly how many parents experience mental illnesses like anxiety and depression during pregnancy and the first 12 months of their baby’s life (the perinatal period). There are a number of factors that make it difficult to estimate, including differences in the way research data is collected and different ways of defining or diagnosing mental illness. Despite this, there is agreement that mental health problems in the perinatal period are common, can impact the health of the entire family, and are very important public health issues1.