Moving Beyond Shame:

In recent years, mental illness in pregnant and postpartum women has become a public health concern. Untreated and undertreated maternal mental illness has a significant negative impact on not only the mother, but also on the baby and family. Further, many women do not seek help or access mental health care due to stigma and shame surrounding mental illness, the unrealistic expectations of motherhood, and the fear of being judged or rejected. An interpretive descriptive study informed by a feminist perspective was conducted with six postpartum women who sought mental health care services. This provided an opportunity to explore women's experiences of having a mental illness, accessing care, and the role of stigma. Analysis focused on the bio-psycho-social dimensions of their experiences. Shared experiences and meanings emerged: self stigma and the expectations of motherhood; stigma and infertility; factors influencing self stigma; level of self-efficacy; treatment satisfaction, engagement, and outcome. Findings are conceptualized using Brown's (2006) Shame Resilience Theory including implications for practice, women's advice to other women, and recommendations for future research.