It is important to seek help from healthcare services for both postpartum and antenatal depression. Äimä offers peer support alongside professional care.

Where to seek professional help

• Maternity clinic staff, maternity clinic psychologist
• Health centre GP
• Psychiatric outpatient clinic
• Emergency services in your area
• Social services in your own area (the need for support can be investigated there: for example, financial support, child day-care, home care assistance, couple and family crises, home service for families with children)
• In the event of an acute emergency, you can ALWAYS call the emergency number 112

The peer support provided by Äimä

If you want to talk to a peer support mother, please contact the volunteering coordinator, heli.mikkola@aima.fi. Peer support does not replace professional help but is intended to work alongside it.

Peer support chat in English:
Friday 9.5. at 11-12 and at 14-15
Friday 16.5. at 10:30-12:30
Friday 23.5. at 14-15
At the given times, you can open the chat window on our main webpage (in Finnish). In the lower right corner of the page there is an “Apua chatista” pop-up box. Click the “Vertaistukichat” button to start the discussion.

More help available

MIELI (Mental Health Finland) ry offers help and mental health support to people in difficult life situations and crises. They offer Crisis helpline that allows one to discuss with a crisis worker or a trained volunteer confidentially and anonymously. Crisis helpline offers help in English, Swedish, Ukrainian and Russian. Contact information here. They also offer  short term crisis counselling and guidance in crisis situations for anyone living in Finland including immigrants, asylum seekers, victims of human trafficking and undocumented immigrants. More information here.

Väestöliitto offers Perhepulma – helpline service for parents with small children. They offer support and advice in questions related to wellbeing of parents, parenting, early childhood development as well as questions and problems related to parents relationships. Contact information here.

Familia ry offers support for intercultural families. They provide information, support and counselling, as well as opportunities for volunteering and peer activities. Read more on their website.

Nollalinja offers help, support and advice to anyone who has experienced violence, or threat of violence, and to family members of victims of violence. One can talk to their professionals in Finnish, Swedish or English. Nollalinja also helps in eight foreign languages commonly spoken in Finland (Arabic, Dari, Farsi, Russian, Somali, Sorani, Spanish, Thai) through an interpretation service. More information here.

Naisten linja offers services to people who identify themselves as girls or women and have experienced violence or abuse, or threat of violence or abuse, and to those close to them. Contact information here.

Maria Akatemia offers help and support for women who have used, or are afraid that they might use violence. Contact information here.

Miessakit ry offers counselling and support for fathers who are eg. facing issues related to fatherhood, depression etc.. Contact information here.

FinFami offers support for the relatives and close ones of people with mental health issues. You can receive support through peer support groups or individual discussions. More information here.