These first support groups were set up at The Parent Centre, a project of Child Welfare in Cape Town. The support groups became therapy groups, and through referrals and word of mouth, the numbers grew. The author undertook several research projects, one of which was published in the SAMJ 3 . Having been a delegate and presenter at conferences presented by PSI and the Marc Society, it became clear to the author that Southern Africa needed a support service focusing specifically on women who were experiencing clinically diagnosed anxiety and depression, during pregnancy and post partum. Its 230 members include psychiatrists, psychologists, paediatricians, general practitioners, childbirth educators, midwives, and obstetricians, nursing sisters, academics, recovered survivors and volunteers.
Funding is either by donation from the private sector and individuals, or from membership fees.
In addition, our volunteers have visited 4210 newly delivered mothers in maternity hospitals. In the Cape Town area alone, more than 3000 support group sessions have been held since 1997. The author has recently conducted a large research project examining postnatal depression in the broader context of the woman s life. There is an urgent need for further community-based support services, and for random controlled research trials to be extended into the less educated and less affluent communities in Southern Africa. We are uncertain as to how PND presents and is interpreted by our many different cultural groups.