Women’s lives at risk from lack of maternal mental health support – BBC Newsnight

Pregnancy and the early months of motherhood can be a time of great vulnerability for women. Almost one in five women experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or the first year of their child’s life.

In 2016 the UK government pledged a revolution in mental health services, including almost £300 million to provide specialist care for expectant or new mothers.

But new data, shared exclusively with Newsnight shows that despite progress, services across the UK are still struggling to meet their targets.

And while the numbers of women who take their own lives when they are pregnant or in the first year after giving birth are small – the risk of the worst outcome appears to be rising.

Newsnight’s Science Correspondent Kate Lamble reports.

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