Our birth story – 40 years of PANDA and perinatal mental health in Australia

When PANDA began in Ann Lanigan’s Melbourne lounge room in the 1980s, there was nothing else like it in the country.   Ann experienced postnatal depression after the birth of her third child, and only got the help she needed by pure luck. And that’s how she describes the perinatal mental health system at the time – a total lottery, with very few parents getting the treatment they needed.   But during Ann’s recovery, she made it her mission to connect with other women who had experienced the same thing. From that moment a community grew and changed the lives of the people it touched for the better.  This episode of Survive & Thrive is a little different. You’ll hear PANDA CEO Julie Borninkhof in conversation with two people critical in PANDA’s formation, Ann Lanigan and Professor Dorothy Scott OAM.  Together they trace the organisation back to it’s roots and look at how far we’ve come – and the distance we still have to go – with treating perinatal mental health in Australia.     Family violence support:  It’s important to know that there is a risk during this time in your life that family violence will get worse, or it may start for the first time. If you’re worried about safety in your relationship, support is available.  1800 RESPECT (support for people affected by family violence): 1800 737 732 or 1800respect.org.au (24/7)    Speak to PANDA:  Call the PANDA Helpline on 1300 726 306 (9am-7:30pm Monday-Saturday AEST).  The Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for any new or expecting parent struggling with the challenges of becoming a new parent.  Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through your challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts, feelings and experiences.  Partners, family members and friends can also call, as can health professionals supporting expecting and new parents.    More resources:  Pregnancy, Birth and Baby Helpline: 1800 882 436 (24/7)  Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7) or lifeline.org.au (12pm to midnight)  Suicide Callback Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au (24/7)  QLife: 1800 184 527 or qlife.org.au (3PM to midnight)  Mensline: 1300 78 99 78 or mensline.org.au (24/7)    If you need help now:  If you are concerned about your safety or that of a loved one, please call 000 or visit your local hospital emergency department.  Acknowledgement: PANDA acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live and where this podcast is made. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We celebrate the stories, culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders of all communities who also work and live on this land.  We recognise the individual and collective contributions of people with a lived and/or living experience of mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.   Each person’s journey is unique and a valued contribution to Australia’s commitment to PANDA's work and mental health systems reform.   It is through listening to and acting on the voices of people with lived experience, that those who provide services, those who fund services, and most importantly, those who use services that we will find the information we need to move towards the mental health system Australia needs.    Every person’s story we hear, every experience shared, helps to develop our understanding of the system that is required to best meet the needs of Australians living with mental health issues, their families, loved ones and supporters.    CREDITS  Host: Gia Hogarth  PANDA Digital Editor: Serena Ashmore  PANDA Commissioning Editor: Bec Shafer  Deadset Studios Senior Producer: Grace Pashley  Deadset Studios Executive Producer: Rachel Fountain  Sound Design by Krissy Miltiadou