The Gidget Foundation is a not for profit registered charity established to raise awareness of perinatal anxiety and depression. The Foundation began following the death of a young Northern Beaches woman who took her own life. She was suffering from unrecognised postnatal depression. Her family and friends got together, determined to increase awareness and reduce the risk of another loss.
Dr Vijay Roach, the Gidget Foundation Chairman, is an obstetrician and gynaecologist and, in his professional capacity he recognises the significance of the disease and its potential implications for his patients and their families. His wife, Cathie, Gidget Foundation CEO, was undiagnosed for two years and she (and their family) suffered terribly.
That was 20 years ago and Cathie now speaks to people of her experience, sharing her story to help others. Vijay also does a lot of public speaking, including a Rugby pub lunch where 400 unsuspecting men were duped into listening to his story on the pretext of a free beer and the Bledisloe Cup!
Gidget Foundation is working towards holding a lunch in November to coincide with Postnatal Depression Week (November 13-18). This lunch will target a new audience for awareness – lawyers, business people and corporates i.e. not your usual crowd for a women’s medical issue. The reason for targeting this group of people is because perinatal anxiety and depression is not simply a new mother’s issue. Fathers often suffer mental health changes with a new baby and men are often deeply affected if their spouse is unwell. The implications for employers, business and the wider society is enormous and definitely unrecognised. Any positive change in the way that new parents experience new parenthood is beneficial to everyone.
The Foundation has established a screening Emotional Wellbeing programme at North Shore Private Hospital (the first in a private hospital in Australia) reflecting the process that already exists in the public hospital system. They have produced (with PANDA, a related Victorian organisation) an educational and informative DVD about perinatal anxiety and depression This DVD, ‘Behind the Mask: the hidden struggle of parenthood’ will be distributed to all early Childhood centres in NSW and Victoria, and we hope beyond. Gidget Foundation holds at least one public function a year, hosting 400-500 people and their events are always sold out. They have extensive networks established and it is their aim is to increase their reach.
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Top Comments
Hi,
It is great to see video's such as this online and it is great that organisations such as PANDA are there for women who experience PND. A concern I have with this video and much of the talk about PND, however, is the individual emphasis. Why is it that such a high proportion of women are depressed after birth? I can understand that there must be some who would become depressed no matter what, it may be biological or psychosocial to some extent. But it seems to me that there are wider issues that stem from the fact that caring for an infant in Australia today is very often an isolating experience. There are massive tensions between the workplace and the requirements of care and it is often women who bend - who take the punches. There have been significant changes in this regard but there is a long way to go. It seems to me that the large numbers of women who become depressed often a year or more after the birth of a child is indicative of this. I have been working on an internet site for some time, uploading a large number of relevant studies that flesh out this position see: www.maternalhealthandwellbe... Naturally women who are depressed need to be cared for but if this is the only focus agencies will continue to be putting out spot fires for ever. The literature on care talks about a need for transformational change - something that I think calls for consideration in this regard.
SUCH a worthy cause!