New tool offers free mental health support for Quebec parents

It’s called Toi, Moi, Bébé: a new, free, online tool designed for new and soon-to-be parents.

With workshops, information and different resources at your fingertips, its goal is to help support those on their journey to parenthood.

“What we need to know is that one mother out of five has symptoms of mental health problems, and most of them don’t ask for help,” said Lionel Carmant, Quebec minister responsible for social services. “So we need clinicians to screen for problems during pregnancy and Toi, Moi, Bébé will be there to support them.”

The new program, announced Monday at the Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, was developed by researchers and health and social services professionals, who say that the arrival of a child is a big change that can sometimes cause problems of anxiety, sadness or depression.

In fact, officials estimate that between 9,000 and 13,000 Quebec women were affected by post-partum depression in 2023.

Among those diagnosed, between 30 and 60 per cent presented symptoms in the prenatal period.

Those who helped develop the program say it’s extremely important for both new mothers and fathers to have mental health resources readily available.

“This program really is one step forward in making these conditions better known and also in helping parents finding ways to tackle these important issues,” said Dr. Martin St-Andre, medical director of the Perinatal and Early Childhood Psychiatry Clinic at the Sainte-Justine Hospital.

And for those like Marie-Michele Poirier, who experienced post-partum depression after giving birth in 2020, a resource like Toi, Moi, Bébé, can go a long way in helping parents.

“I know the feeling and when you begin to talk with your friends, your co-workers, it’s like everybody feels the same,” Poirier said. “It’s a good thing to just talk about it. We have to talk about it more.”

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