Mothers with post-partum depression, you are not alone.

That’s the message behind Beyond Blue, a new support group organised by family charity MAMA.

“No one talks about post-partum depression,” said group co-founder Angela Hovi, who herself experienced the condition.

“It is kept very hush-hush. When mothers go to playgroups, everyone seems to be smiling. It can leave a depressed mother feeling very alone. They can feel like they are the only one going through this.”

At Beyond Blue’s first meeting in April, some mothers were shy about expressing their feelings.

“So I stood up and told them my story,” Mrs Hovi said. “I had two sons 11 months apart and experienced PPD after each birth. Having two children so close together added to my depression.”

Her sons are now one and two years old.

A lot of mothers showed relief after hearing her experience. It broke the ice and from there conversation flowed.

“There is a real stigma with PPD,” said Mrs Hovi, who is an at home mother. “If you had cancer or some other illness, most people wouldn’t hesitate about going to a support group, but with depression it is different.”

The community’s small size added to people’s fears of talking openly, she added. MAMA decided to start the group after The Royal Gazette ran an article in January about PPD. The article highlighted the lack of community support for PPD sufferers.

“People have said to us that it is very much needed,” said Mrs Hovi. “Until the group was formed, most women went online for peer support, as there was no alternative.”

An average of three women show up to the biweekly meetings. The cause of PPD is thought to be mainly hormonal, but situational problems, such as difficulties with breast feeding, lack of home support and overly short maternity leave can exacerbate the problem.

Treatment can vary.

“I needed a combination of medication and exercise,” said Mrs Hovi. “What works for one woman is different for another.”

Rebecca Lucking and Wendy Wiseman helped found the group.

“We are all just mums that have gone through it,” Mrs Hovi said. “We don’t have any kind of training. We are here as peers to just talk about different issues as opposed to any sort of therapy.”

The women also provide a list of resources — acupuncturists, lactation consultants and doulas who might be able to help.

“Nobody has paid us to advertise their services,” said Mrs Hovi. “We just talk about what’s worked for us.”

She hoped the group would help women get past the stigma.

“They need to know that this isn’t their fault,” she said. “They are not feeling this way because of something they did. It is a medical condition like any other medical condition.”

The group splits meetings between a private home and an evening in town.

“These evening meetings also get mom a sometimes much-needed night out,” said Mrs Hovi.

The next meeting is on Tuesday at 7.30pm at Cafe Ten on Dundonald Street.

• For more information or to RSVP e-mail mamabeyondblue@outlook.com. Visit www.mama.bm.