PANDA s Guide To Assisting. Online Commenters Seeking Help

Transcription

1 INTRODUCTION The following document has been prepared by PANDA as a guide to assist with online communication surrounding postnatal depression. Text within this document may be used or adapted as required. Any concerns regarding postnatal depression can be referred to: PANDAs Helpline and Further information can be found at to PANDA (Post and Ante Natal Depression Association) is a national organisation that offers the following services: National Perinatal Depression Helpline which provides counseling, support and referrals to those living with depression and anxiety during pregnancy and after the birth of a baby Home-Start, an in-home support program (Victoria) Assistance setting up postnatal depression support groups Information, education and training seminars for parent groups and health professionals National resource and service referral database BACKGROUND Being a blogger you will already be familiar with the wide range of comments that your blog posts can receive. When topics such as depression and anxiety during pregnancy (antenatal) or after the birth of a baby (postnatal) are discussed it can generate many emotional responses depending on peoples experiences and/or beliefs and values. We know, as you do, that many people live with a great deal of distress and loneliness and can find talking about their thoughts and feelings online to be a safe and private forum, often disclosing more than if they were face to face with someone. Some comments can be emotionally thought provoking, insightful or perhaps even hurtful. PANDA has a duty of care to you and your blog members when discussing this topic, and as such wants to ensure that you have the best information and support. It would not be a good outcome for you to be overwhelmed with comments and questions from your members that are hard to respond to. To help you we have prepared the following resource and hope you find it useful. We have put together some example comments and questions that we have received in the past with a suggested answer for you to use or customise, as well as some tips for additional supports and resources for your members. In addition we want to encourage you to look after yourself during this time. Creating a community for many other mums is a wonderful thing and with support you will be able to build your community. Part of this is knowing when your members need more support than the blog group can provide and providing referral information. If you are concerned by a comment left on your blog post please do not feel you need to provide 1 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

2 any solutions, just a listening ear and support. PANDA can provide the information and resources to help you and your blog members the PANDA Helpline and website can provide ongoing support to any woman or man who is affected by perinatal depression and anxiety; whether individually or as part of their family or friendships. Equally, if you feel uncomfortable by any comments received and do not see an appropriate answer below please contact us directly on or info@panda.org.au for advice. Just a few general tips: Online posts and comments are a great first step to getting help and source of ongoing support. It is important to encourage the person to take the next step of talking to someone, either PANDA Helpline counsellor or their GP or counsellor, to help them work out what is happening and to determine if they are experiencing depression or anxiety (diagnosis) and what supports are required; Sometimes the story the person is telling can be really huge with a lot of difficult information and it can be hard to know how to respond. Try to remember that you cannot respond to everything in a post it can be helpful to pick out the same sort of issues as those outlined in the following Guide and use the part or all of the suggested responses. Hopefully the person will feel encouraged to seek further help with PANDA or another service that can help them work through the whole story over time. Try to avoid giving any advice or a diagnosis everybodys experience of depression and anxiety, and what will help, will be unique to them. It is better to encourage them to seek help from a professional who they can trust to support them in their individual situation and then to receive social and emotional support from their friends and blogging community; The best recovery and outcomes come from combining a range of supports and interventions. Treating with medications for a short time will help the person to feel better but they may not be recovered. A combination of physical, psychological and social supports are ideal, eg seeing GP, a counsellor and building family and social supports; and Any posts that describe risk to anybody or to the baby, such as suicide, self harm or risk to baby, need to be taken really seriously with making connections for the person with immediate supports (See attached table). It would also be ideal if ongoing threads of discussion about risk or suicide could be discouraged or shut down due to potential impact on the blogger and members. 2 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

3 Some possible script responses to potential blog posts I m not sure but I think I might have postnatal depression? It can be incredibly hard to know what is going on when you feel different and confused. It is important for anyone who is worried about whether they are experiencing postnatal depression to visit their GP to talk about what is happening. The GP can also try to rule out other medical issues with a physical health check and refer you to a counsellor for ongoing support. You can also access the PANDA website for lots of reading as well as contact the PANDA Helpline to discuss any concerns you have about yourself or a friend or family member. Callers do not need to be diagnosed with any formal condition to ring, and we are also happy to speak to partners, carers, family members and friends. PANDA's counsellors can also help you find relevant support services in your area. They will provide you with ongoing counselling and support over the Helpline, sometimes just being someone to listen to you - callers need only share what they want, and can even remain anonymous if it makes it easier.. Please call the PANDA Helpline on, between 9am & 7pm, Monday to Friday (AEST). The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains information about personal experiences of antenatal or postnatal (perinatal) depression. I am pregnant and feel really weird, not like myself. I think I might be struggling with the same things people describe as postnatal depression. Sometimes being pregnant can feel very strange, physically, emotionally and mentally. Lots of these feelings are normal and it can be hard to work out when they become a problem, such as depression and anxiety during pregnancy antenatal depression. It is always a good idea to talk to someone you trust if you are worried about your thoughts and feelings, such as your GP or baby health nurse, to make sure you can enjoy being pregnant and be ready for the birth of your baby. You can also call PANDAs Helpline and talk to the counsellors about any concerns. PANDA counsellors have maintained contact with women throughout their pregnancies and ensured they have been connected to the best available support services fitting their needs and preferences. Please call the PANDA Helpline on, between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains concerns about depression or anxiety during pregnancy many people do not know about antenatal depression and it is a good opportunity to let people know there is help available. 3 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

4 I haven't come across anyone who really cares. I've told family and friends I was diagnosed with postnatal depression and to be honest. If anything I felt everyone around me retreat and tell me it's not true... I am sorry to hear you are struggling to find support; it can make you feel really lonely and unsupported. Unfortunately people around you may be struggling with their own issues to do with what you have told them, especially wanting you to feel better quickly. It is hard but you must focus on yourself. Tell them you need them and how they can help. Suggest to your family and friends that they go on to the PANDA website and read more about what you are going through. Educating those around you to understand what you are going through is the best way to help stop the misunderstandings about depression and anxiety. You can call the PANDA Helpline and talk to a counsellor as well as a peer support worker, someone who has lived through perinatal depression. They are there to listen, and provide counselling and support. Partners, family and friends can call PANDA too - ; PANDA is for anyone who needs an ear to listen during the perinatal period. Callers need only share what they want, and can even remain anonymous if it makes it easier. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content from a mother or father who is feeling that no one understands them and very isolated by their perceptions of not being supported. What can I do for postnatal depression? Where is help available? I have seen my GP and baby health clinic but want to do more than what was offered. This is my second time with postnatal depression so I know how bad it can get if you let it go for too long. It is really great that you want to get as much help as you can to tackle postnatal depression. It is the best way to try and recover as quickly as possible but it can be hard to know where to go or who can be trusted. PANDA's counsellors on the Helpline can help you find relevant support services and health professionals in your area. They will be keen to follow up with a call to you to see how the referrals go as they know it doesnt always go smoothly. Sometimes they can help you contact the service or they will just listen when you need someone or on a difficult day. Please call us on , between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday. Callers need only share what they want, and can even remain anonymous if it makes it easier. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content from a mother or father who is seeking help but is not sure where to go. Also refer to the attached flow chart of types of help that is available. 4 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

5 I have had depression since my first child and am now pregnant again. I need some advice on continuing medication while I m still pregnant. I ve briefly spoken to my doctor about this but feel like I am getting some mixed messages and I am concerned about the impact on my baby. Medication for depression and anxiety has a very important role to play in treating depression and anxiety, alongside other things like counselling, lots of support, rest and time away from baby. It can be really confusing when you have to make a decision about taking medication during pregnancy (or breastfeeding). PANDA recommends that you contact one of the really good medication information services who can provide up to date and objective information or speak to your pharmacist. Please do not make any decisions about ceasing or changing your medication until you have received specialist advice from your GP or psychiatrist. If you cant find the details of these services you can also contact the PANDA Helpline for contact details or for other ways you can be supported through this time;, between 9am and 7pm, Monday to Friday (AEST). The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content about the use of medication for treatment for depression or anxiety and concerns about taking it during pregnancy or breastfeeding. I have a friend who is 26 weeks pregnant and very anxious. What supports are there for her - she is scared? Please ask your friend to contact the PANDA Helpline. They support families in both the antenatal and postnatal period and speak to many pregnant women. Callers do not need to be diagnosed with any formal condition to ring, and speak to partners, carers, family members and friends. PANDA counsellors have maintained contact with women throughout their pregnancies and ensured they have been connected to the best available support services fitting their needs and preferences. If you think your friend wont call PANDA it would be great for you to call the Helpline and the counsellors can support you to help your friend. PANDA is for anyone who needs an ear to listen during the perinatal period. Callers need only share what they want, and can even remain anonymous if it makes it easier. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content from a friend or third person who is concerned about the new mother or father. 5 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

6 I went to see my counsellor yesterday and the appointment has left me feeling really uncomfortable with what we spoke about. I am thinking about not going back to see her because I don t want to feel worse. Sometimes talking about difficult thoughts and feelings can be really hard and will leave you feeling worse initially so it would be really great if you could go back to your counsellor and let her know how you are feeling after your session. If you are struggling because of how the session was managed it is just as important to keep seeking help for how you are feeling, try not to be put off. You could also call the PANDA Helpline and talk through the session and how you feel with a counsellor who can also provide strategies and perhaps other counselling referrals. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content about a service provider or a difficult experience seeking help. Important to make sure that there are no names of health professionals or services used or specific recommendations for other service providers. My husband is really miserable and I don t know how to reach him or help him. We both looked forward to our baby so much and I feel like I am thriving. But not my husband we fight a lot and he seems really withdrawn, and he won t talk to me about how he is feeling. I am worried about what might be going on for him. There is no doubt that new dads can really struggle during pregnancy or after the birth of their baby, and some even develop depression and anxiety not well known. Just as mums need to talk to someone if they are worried about how they feel, so do dads. Try to encourage him to see his GP or a counsellor but if he is reluctant to go you could go yourself so that you are supported to know how to help him or gently persuade him. Also access good quality information (from PANDA website or make contact with PANDA Helpline counsellor. Dads can be hard to talk to about these things but keep persevering because they sometimes need more support than ever and new families really need happy dads. The text above can be used or adapted for any post that contains content about dads who are struggling or might be experiencing depression or anxiety. Remember if you feel uncomfortable in response to any comments you receive in response to a blog post regarding PANDA, antenatal or postnatal depression and do not see an appropriate answer above please contact us directly: or info@panda.org.au for advice. 6 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012

7 NEED FOR SUPPORT SUPPORT/INFO SERVICE CONTACT DETAILS Struggling with transition to parenthood Antenatal and postnatal depression Some suggested resources for support: PANDA Helpline and website PANDA Helpline and website beyondblue Black Dog Institute Afterhours support services Pregnancy Birth Baby Helpline Supports for dads Counselling services Mental health assessment Medications advice Lifeline beyondblue PANDA Helpline and website to provide additional referrals for support Mensline Better Access counselling Requires mental health care plan with GP and provides Medicare rebate Access to Allied Psychological Services Low cost counselling with referral from GP Private psychologist or counsellor Benefit from private health insurance See family doctor for physical and mental health check Advice related to prescribed medications requires referral Visit family doctor Visit family doctor PANDA services directory Australian Psychological Society Directory beyondblue directory Visit family doctor beyondblue directory PANDA Helpline Crisis supports 24/7 Lifeline Suicide Call Back Service Social supports Speak to partner, family and friends Contact PANDA Helpline for Join a parents, support or playgroup support on how to build social supports 7 Prepared by PANDA, October 2012