Evidence base for prevention
Pregnancy, birth and the first two years of a child’s life (the perinatal period) is a key time for families. Undiagnosed and untreated mental health conditions during the perinatal period can have a particularly strong negative impact.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists produced a report in 2024 summarising evidence around public mental health interventions, which found that interventions during the perinatal period to prevent child mental illness had the strongest evidence base. These interventions are summarised in the diagram below, although the full details are on pages 6 – 10 in the report.
Figure 1: Evidence-based interventions to prevent mental illness during the perinatal period. Image based on: Summary of evidence on public mental health interventions
Other evidence:
- There are some arguments that there should be a focus on preconception health to improve outcomes for parents and babies, in recognition that risk factors and health behaviours are often established before pregnancy (Public Health England, 2018).
- A 2014 study estimated that the annual cost of perinatal depression, anxiety and psychosis in the UK was £8.1 billion, with 72% of cost resulting from adverse impacts on children (Bauer et al., 2014).
- The Mental Health Foundation’s report on the economic case for investing in the prevention of mental health condition highlights the strong economic evidence for prevention in the perinatal period and early childhood.
- The Maternal Mental Health Alliance states that current gaps in perinatal mental health provision, particularly around early intervention and support for people who do not meet the threshold for specialist perinatal mental health services, could be addressed by new integrated service provision. They estimated that this new model of care, in which health professionals regularly in contact with women and birthing people would ask about their mental health and offer low-intensity treatment for stress, anxiety and depression, would generate substantial long-term savings for the NHS (Bauer et al., 2022).
Additional resources
- The economic case for increasing access to treatment for women with common mental health problems during the perinatal period
- Making the Case for Preconception Care: Planning and preparation for pregnancy to improve maternal and child health outcomes
- Infant and early childhood mental health: the case for action
- Best start for life: A Vision for the 1,001 Critical Days
- Prevention in mind: All Babies Count: Spotlight on Perinatal Mental Health
- Early Moments Matter: Guaranteeing the Best Start in Life for Every Baby and Toddler in England
-
References
Bauer A, Tinelli M, Knapp M. The economic case for increasing access to treatment for women with common mental health problems during the perinatal period [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2024 Jul 22]. Available from: https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/media/filer_public/b2/63/b2630472-d027-407d-976a-a754b3069005/economic-case-increasing-access-treatment-women-common-maternal-mental-health-problems-report-lse-2022-mmha.pdf
Bauer A, Parsonage M, Knapp M, Lemmi V, Adelaja B. The costs of perinatal mental health problems. LSE & Centre for Mental Health. 2014;(November).
Public Health England. Making the Case for Preconception Care: Planning and preparation for pregnancy to improve maternal and child health outcomes [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2023 Mar 2]. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729018/Making_the_case_for_preconception_care.pdf