Our perinatal mental health clinical network is proud to have launched an innovative new film on the subject of C-PTSD.

Sometimes known as personality disorder, C-PTSD stands for Complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It has been known for a long time that various forms of trauma, abuse, neglect or severe ongoing stress in childhood (such as bullying at school) leads to people developing patterns of emotions, thinking and behaviour which can make their lives very difficult and unhappy. Living with C-PTSD can be challenging, and having a baby makes things more difficult.

“When I was pregnant with my son Henry I experienced significant health challenges that also impacted on my mental health,” says Charlotte Howden, the film’s narrator. “I’ve since discovered that pregnancy and early motherhood is a time when women are most at risk of developing a mental health condition and shockingly suicide is now the leading cause of maternal death.”

“This film came about as a result of a review of the content of the Healthier Together website,” explains Jenny Walsh, Clinical Lead for Perinatal Mental Health. “This is a site that provides valuable healthcare advice for parents, young people, and pregnant women. We helped to develop a perinatal mental health section to the site, and while we were doing so we received clear feedback from focus groups that each topic should be introduced by a short film, for people that couldn’t easily access written material. We quickly realised that no suitable film had been produced on the topic of C-PTSD, and so quite simply we decided to commission one.”

“Our aim was to develop a short film to help women, their families and health professionals to understand C-PTSD and its treatment. It includes the stories of two women who have suffered from and been treated for the condition, as well as explanations from experts in the field. Our hope is that health professionals will use it as a training resource to raise awareness of this complex and often misunderstood condition, and that women and their families can also benefit from watching the stories of other women with lived experience of C-PTSD.”

You can watch the film in full here: 

To find out more visit the mental health pages of the Healthier Together website.