The (pink) cloud: what if things don't go as expected - Klaas Bauters

One in five women experiences mental health problems in the perinatal period, which spans pregnancy and the first year after childbirth. For half of this group, we can speak of a mental disorder. In Vlaanderen, that is about 6,400 women per year for whom the "pink cloud" turns very dark. The impact of this on mother, baby, and by extension the entire family is enormous and is still greatly underestimated today. What mental challenges do mothers face during this period? What mental disorders can occur? And what can we as a society do to support and make mental health problems in this special period more discussable? Klaas Bauters is a social worker and coordinator of the Mother-Baby Unit at the Karus psychiatric center, Ghent campus. In addition, he is a guest lecturer, contributes to shaping policy regarding perinatal mental health care within the Perinet steering committee, and is a board member of the non-profit organization Wolk in mijn Hoofd (Cloud in my Head), which focuses on prevention and making this issue discussable in society.