title: Enablers and barriers to seeking help for a postpartum mood disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the barriers and enablers identified by women experiencing a postpartum mood disorder (PPMD) that preclude and facilitate their help-seeking behaviors for this often devastating illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative study using a grounded theory approach.
  
  
  METHODS
  Well-Baby Clinics offered through the Public Health Department, Early Years Centres, Mothercraft, and a Parent Resource Centre in a large Canadian city.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten women who had either been formally diagnosed as having a PPMD or who self-identified as experiencing a constellation of symptoms indicative of a PPMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews that were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a grounded theory approach as described by Strauss and Corbin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The core category of "having postpartum" captured the essence of women's experiences in seeking help for a PPMD. Women identified four main stressors that contributed to their development of a PPMD, two barrier categories, and an enabler category that influenced their help-seeking behaviors. Through navigation of formal and informal help, women were able to begin to reclaim the mothering instincts they had lost to mental illness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pregnancy, birth, and becoming a mother collectively represent a critical period of physical and emotional upheaval in a woman's life. The need for a holistic care approach that supports the emotional and physical health of the dyad is imperative.
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada. mfoulkes@cheo.on.ca
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foulkes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D036301:Qualitative Research