Hollyoaks works with expert charity for Liberty's postpartum psychosis storyline
Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
Hollyoaks has been working with expert charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis for Liberty Savage's emotional storyline.
Liberty (Jessamy Stoddart) has developed symptoms of postpartum psychosis since giving birth to baby Faith, and has been having hallucinations of her dead niece Nico.
The exclusive clip above previews Liberty's struggles intensifying in tonight's E4 episode (December 10), when baby Faith suddenly falls unwell.
After ignoring Sienna's concerns, Liberty soon sees 'Nico' again – who discourages her from taking Faith to the hospital.
Postpartum Psychosis (PP) is a severe, but treatable, form of mental illness that occurs after having a baby. Show bosses have been working closely with Action on Postpartum Psychosis since the inception of the storyline.
A spokesperson for the charity said: "Action on Postpartum Psychosis are delighted to be working with Hollyoaks to bring such an important storyline to screen.
"Postpartum Psychosis is a severe but treatable mental health condition which begins suddenly following childbirth. Over 1,400 women experience this illness each year in the UK, around one to two in every 1,000 mothers.
"We know the power of this condition appearing in one of the UK’s best loved dramas. The Hollyoaks characters are well known to millions and seeing a realistic depiction of such a misunderstood illness will, we hope, bring the realities of Postpartum Psychosis to a whole new audience who may not have heard of the illness before.
"We have really enjoyed working with the Hollyoaks team at every step of this storyline. This work has been led by women who have themselves experienced the illness, to ensure that the story is as sensitive and realistic as possible. As life in Hollyoaks reflects a modern day and diverse society and all the challenges that comes with it.
"Action on Postpartum Psychosis are a small charity with a mighty reach. We run a peer support service, develop patient information, offer training to frontline health professionals and facilitate research into the causes of Postpartum Psychosis.
"We hope that this storyline will do much to promote greater public awareness of the illness and allow us to support more women and families across the UK."
Tonight's episode will see concern for Liberty grow when Damon realises that she has been hallucinating.
Desperate to help her, Damon turns to Sienna, who attempts to keep Liberty and Faith under her watch in the flat.
However, when Liberty manages to escape, she seeks shelter at The Folly, where 'Nico' is still pulling her strings. Can Sienna find Liberty and convince her to get help?
Hollyoaks airs new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays at 6.30pm on Channel 4, with first-look screenings at 7pm on E4. Classic episodes, titled Hollyoaks Favourites, air on Fridays at 7pm on E4.
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Action on Postpartum Psychosis on 0203 3229900 (www.app-network.org), Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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