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HAPIS website for mothers among best in the world


By SPP Reporter



A HIGHLAND-based charity’s website has been recognised by researchers as one of the top five sites in the world offering support for women struggling with postnatal mental illness.

HAPIS (Highland Ante Postnatal Illness and Depression Support) was founded in February 2001 by five recovering mothers who had suffered from various degrees of depression after childbirth and who found there was a lack of information, understanding and emotional help for them and their families.

Health psychologists Donne Moore and Dr Susan Ayres, of the University of Sussex, researched thousands of websites and identified www.hapis.org.uk as being in the top five for new mothers seeking information about postnatal depression and anxiety.

HAPIS chairperson Nicola Robertson said: "We are delighted that the sterling efforts of all the willing volunteers who have helped HAPIS over the past 11 years establish itself as a credible, reliable and trustworthy organisation have been recognised in this way.

"We are a small charity, but one that is very much needed. The geography of the Highlands as well as the emotional isolation that women are faced with means that to reach out to women and families affected by postnatal depression we rely on online methods of communication so we have to ensure that we have the best website we can. To be told that the HAPIS site is one of the top five is just amazing."

Dr Ayres added: "The internet is often the first port of call for people worried about health issues. This is particularly the case for women suffering from depressive illness following the birth of a baby because many find it difficult to leave the house with a young infant and, like all mental health issues, there is the fear of being stigmatised.

"Using the internet, therefore, provides a way of seeking reassurance information and advice anonymously from home. Effective websites are important in directing women to the professional help they need while giving them the confidence to ask for it."

HAPIS is based in Inverness but operates across the Highlands with volunteer "buddies" from Strathspey to Caithness.

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