Virtual voices: social support and stigma in postnatal mental illness Internet forums

Abstract

Many women with postnatal mental illness do not get the treatment they need and this is often because stigma prevents disclosure. The purpose of this study was to explore online social support for postnatal mental illness, how women experience stigma and potential disadvantages of using Internet forums. Interviews were conducted with fifteen participants who had suffered postnatal mental illness and had used forums. Systematic thematic analysis identified common themes in relation to social support, stigma and disadvantages of using forums. Most women felt they benefited from visiting forums by developing a shared understanding and discourse about their illness. Findings suggest future research should investigate if women benefit from using online social support provided by forums, if use challenges stigma and further explore potential concerns about using forums.

Keywords:

• Postnatal mental health
• stigma
• online social support
• internet forums
• postpartum depression

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the women who took part in the study for sharing their experiences and Ylva Parfitt for her time as an additional coder.