Louis Theroux is known for his hard-hitting documentaries and his next offering is no exception.
The hour-long standalone show sees Theroux return to the UK from Los Angeles to spend time in two specialist psychiatric units - Bethlem Royal Hospital in London and Melbury Lodge in Winchester – with mothers suffering from postpartum mental illnesses.
Theroux has said that he wants his documentary to “normalise” postpartum conditions by bringing them to the small screen.
Here is everything you need to know:
What is Mothers on the Edge about?
Award-winning documentary maker Theroux investigates pregnancy and motherhood in his new one-off special, focusing on women who struggle with their mental health pre and post giving birth.
Spending time in two UK specialist psychiatric units, Theroux observes and meets mothers being treated for a range of conditions – from anxiety to psychosis – while living with their babies. His work also takes him outside the hospital walls, as the patients return home to their families during and after treatment.
According to the NHS, postnatal depression affects 1 in every 10 women in the UK within a year of giving birth. The health service say 1 in 1,000 women experience postpartum psychosis.
What does Louis Theroux say about his documentary?
In a statement, Theroux said that the women he spoke to for his film took “a huge leap of faith” in opening up and sharing their stories.
He said: “Postpartum mental illness, like many aspects of mental health, is all too common and not acknowledged enough. We as a society do so much to celebrate new motherhood and to romanticise the relationship between new mothers and their babies, for understandable reasons. But the sad fact is, for many mums, their experience of having a baby is traumatic and they don’t experience Hallmark Card feelings of love.
“I hope this film will go some way to helping normalise postpartum mental illness and stimulate a discussion on how we can best care for mothers at the time they need it the most.”
When it is on?
Louis Theroux: Mothers on the Edge airs Sunday at 9pm on BBC Two. The documentary will be available on BBC iPlayer shortly after.
