We are proud to announce our second collaboration with the University of Oxford into postpartum depression (“PPD”) and other perinatal mental health illnesses. See the Oxford press release here.

This new research is investigating the role that changes in the way genes are read and enacted upon by the body during and post pregnancy could contribute to PPD and postpartum psychosis (“PPP”).

The research is being undertaken by the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (“DPAG”) (www.dpag.ox.ac.uk) with the support of St Anne’s College (https://www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk/). It is hoped that the outcome can lead to a better understanding of the biology of PPD and PPP and potentially lead to a targeted therapeutic.

The PAM Foundation’s aim is for all women across Thailand to have access to quality care and support for their mental health during and in the year after their pregnancy.

We are therefore proud to announce a major step forward in that goal with a new perinatal mental health course at Thailand’s leading teaching hospital for medical professionals who encounter new parents.

The new training program is a first step on a very long journey. Like many countries, Thailand does not yet have well-defined care pathways for the detection and treatment of maternal mental health issues, even though they impact up to one in five mothers.

Non-specialist clinical staff are not trained to recognise and handle maternal mental health cases, and specialist services are practically inaccessible to most of the population. There are essentially no multidisciplinary care teams (consisting of psychiatrists, paediatricians, obstetrics) for perinatal mental health and no dedicated mother-baby units, which are essential for severe cases of postpartum depression.

This is why the PAM Foundation has funded the creation of a world class maternal mental health training program, bringing together an international team of expert perinatal psychiatrists and psychologists to create the curriculum.

The first course was delivered via Thailand’s premier teaching hospital, Siriraj Hospital, to 20 Thai medical professionals, with support from Postpartum Support International (PSI) and Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.

In this podcast, PAM trustee Dr. Salima Watfa discusses postpartum depression and other maternal mental health issues with perinatal psychiatrist, Dr. Maddalena Miele-Norton.

Today the PAM Foundation convened an expert group of panellists from government, civic society and the private sector to discuss the skillsets and support levels which are needed to address maternal mental health.

One aim of the round table was to start a discussion about moving Thailand in the direction of providing dedicated funding and care pathways for maternal mental health. At present, Thailand lacks basic screening for maternal mental health issues, which means the problem usually goes undiagnosed (even in countries with more developed medical infrastructure, the rate of detection of maternal mental health is estimated to be as low as 15%).

Our panellists included:

DR. OLARIK MUSIKWONG Head of Mother and Child Group, Office of Health Promotion, Thai Ministry of Public Health

Dr. Kanjapassorn Suriyasangpet, CEO, Psychology Platform, OOCA

Tida Yingcharoen, Oxford Thai Foundation

Birdie Meyers, Postpartum Support International

Hamish Magoffin, PAM Foundation

Jonas Koblin, Mali Family Health

The full discussion can be found on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8cbSzLmiEs&list=PLM4IwgQOIZl7y_FshLgtMelgWjKQN5Evx

We are proud to announce a collaboration with the University of Oxford focused on a scoping review to identify and map the breadth of evidence available on the topic of post-partum depression using a wide range of sources. The review will clarify key concepts/definitions in the literature and identify gaps in our understanding thereby informing future research. This review is being undertaken by the Centre for Personalised Medicine (CPM), which is a partnership between the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics and St Anne’s College (https://cpm.well.ox.ac.uk). The review will be published and on the centre’s website, and in academic journals, with a plan for engagement with a wide range of audiences.

The PAM Foundation has launched group support sessions for PPD sufferers, hosted by experienced facilitators. It’s part of our plan to not only raise awareness but also provide care to those in need.

The PAM Foundation, in partnership with Woof Pack Projects is hosting a photography exhibition to create awareness about maternal mental health and the pressures faced by new families. The Thai-focused exhibition displays a range of works by various photographers displaying intimate moments of motherhood.

The exhibition has the goal of educating and stimulating public discussion on Maternal Mental Health and Modern Social Parenting Pressures.

Hamish is running from John o' Groats (the top of Scotland) to Land's End (the bottom of England) to raise awareness of postpartum depression ("PPD") and the Pranaiya & Arthur Magoffin Foundation ("PAM Foundation").

We would love for you to help us raise awareness, and you can do so by setting your own "JOGLE" Challenge

The PAM Foundation is holding an open discussion about Post-Partum Depression.

9am Bangkok; 1pm Sydney, 9pm NY, 2am London. (Recording will be available after).

The discussion is in Thai and English; Thai sub-titles will be provided for English for original stream, with English sub-titles being added in due course.