UP to 1,200 new mothers in England and Wales suffer psychosis each year, according to a new analysis.

Figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), based on births registered in 2022, suggest between 600 and 1,200 women each year may suffer from the condition.

Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that occurs soon after having a baby, with symptoms including hallucinations, anxiety, low mood and delusions.

If not treated quickly, the psychosis can increase the risk of suicide.

The RCP said the government must keep its commitment to ensure 66,000 women with perinatal mental health difficulties have access to specialist community care from before birth to two years after birth.

Their partners must also have access to mental health assessments and support, it said.

RCP perinatal faculty chairwoman Dr Cressida Manning said: “We also need to tackle the stigma surrounding psychosis as many women worry they’ll be judged and deemed unfit to care for their baby.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokeswoman said every part of England now has a specialist mental health team and spending on mental health has increased by more than £4.5 billion since 2019.