Perinatal mental health around the world: priorities for research and service development in Norway
Magnhild Singstad Høivik, Malin Eberhard‐Gran, Catharina Elisabeth Arfwedson Wang, Signe Karen Dørheim
Abstract
Despite the country's generous social welfare systems, perinatal mental health problems are prevalent in Norway. National guidelines recommend that health services identify women with perinatal mental conditions, but systematic screening and clear treatment pathways are not nationally endorsed, neither are recommendations for evaluating and treating possible parent-infant interaction difficulties of affected mothers. There are no subspecialties in perinatal psychiatry or psychology, hence healthcare personnel often lack expertise about perinatal mental health. To safeguard the mental health of infants and parents, we need to establish systematic communication between primary healthcare professionals, as well as between primary- and secondary-level professionals.