On this episode of the podcast I welcome Inka and Laura who work at a charity called Äimä. This is a charity aimed at dealing with perinatal mental health challenges while looking at the entire family unit as well as how to make change on a national political level. We talked about the kind of mental health challenges that the charity supports as well as how they are involved in making national impact. Laura talked about the challenges that face women when they try to receive help from the system and what she thinks needs to be changed. We touched on the reasons why the Western culture has a higher rate of postnatal depression for example and Inka spoke on the importance of peer support and prevention as well as treatment. We ended the episode by talking about the importance of Inka’s project of educating healthcare professionals who come into contact with new mothers daily. In this episode we also invite you, as non-Finnish mothers, who may be interested in receiving more services from Äimä in English, to please reach out to Inka and Laura to express ask for that. Also, please share this episode with every mother you know. Spread the word about this organization. People need to know that this exists and that they are not alone. With that, let’s get started and introduce you to Inka and Laura from Äimä.
Topics:
- We get to know the charity organization from the perspective of Laura and Inka
- What kind of maternal mental health challenges does Äimä work with?
- You do not need a diagnosis to get help from Äimä
- The organization supports any family member affected by maternal mental health challenges
- The importance of having easy to access help
- How Finland support maternal mental health challenges and how Äimä is involved with that
- What makes it so that in Western culture we see more cases of maternal mental health challenges?
- Prevention and treatment of maternal mental health challenges at Äimä
- The importance of peer support groups in prevention and treatment
- Having realistic expectations of what you can expect from the system
- Äimä’s efforts of educating social and healthcare professionals and perinatal diseases
Links:
- Inka’s email: inka.kansi@aima.fi
- Laura’s email: laura.piirainen@aima.fi
- Äimä’s website https://aima.fi/en/
- Äimä on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/aima.ry/
- Äimä on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aiditirtisynnytysmasennuksestaAIMA/