‘Stark disparities’: why black mothers are more at risk of perinatal mental illness in England

Poverty, discrimination, and cultural stigma around mental health are among reasons mentioned by experts

• Black mothers twice as likely as white mothers to be hospitalised with perinatal mental illness

Perinatal mental illness affects up to almost a third (27%) of new and expectant mothers across England and covers a range of conditions including postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. A Guardian analysis of NHS figures has shown that for instances of perinatal mental illness that result in hospital admissions, black patients are more than twice as likely to be admitted than their white counterparts.

Part of the reason why black mothers are more at risk of perinatal mental illness is because black people are more at risk of experiencing mental illness in general.