New Program Targets Mental Health of Expectant Mothers

Health experts in Kenya are launching a targeted initiative to support the mental health of expectant and new mothers, recognizing the growing burden of perinatal depression and anxiety. In Nairobi County, health officials unveiled the Perinatal Mental Health Toolkit — Supporting Mother’s Mental Health, developed in collaboration with the SUMMIT Study Kenya team. The toolkit is designed for frontline healthcare providers and Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to screen for mental health conditions, offer basic psychosocial support, and refer mothers when needed.
The toolkit marks a major step in addressing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders in Kenya, especially given the stigma and limited access to specialized care. According to the Nairobi County Chief Officer for Public Health, depression and anxiety during and after pregnancy are highly prevalent. By equipping primary healthcare workers with evidence-based strategies, they hope to detect and manage these conditions early, and better support mothers in their pregnancy journey.
Elsewhere, in Vihiga County, a new program called Maisha Mothers was launched to integrate mental health screening into routine maternity visits. The initiative — run by Thalia Psychotherapy Group in partnership with local health facilities — provides trained counsellors, digital screening tools, and follow-up support for conditions like postpartum depression, anxiety, and trauma from stillbirth.
On the research side, a clinical trial registered in 2025 is evaluating a stepped-care perinatal mental health program in Maternal & Child Health (MCH) clinics. This program will provide systematic screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, group psychosocial support, and tele-psychiatry services — all delivered by non-specialist healthcare workers. Experts say the intervention could serve as a scalable model for integrating mental health into routine antenatal and postnatal care across the country.