By Samantha Reaves, MA, PMH-C

The Smart Patients online platform hosts a free postpartum forum where users can share, connect, and learn from peers in a safe and supportive environment, moderated by Postpartum Support International (PSI) staff.

“Smart Patients was an invaluable resource for me during my own recovery journey, something that I could come back to throughout my most difficult days. The moderator was always available for feedback, support, and resources, along with the community members who truly ‘get it,’” says PSI’s Maura Johnson, LCSW, PMH-C, Risk Assessment Coordinator and Smart Patients Moderator.

Smart Patients is an online community for patients and families affected by various chronic illnesses. On the postpartum message board, parents can ask questions, share concerns with other members, and use what they learn in the context of their own lives. 

The postpartum community offers information, comfort, and connection to pregnant and new mothers suffering from perinatal mental health disorders like postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), postpartum psychosis*, as well as anxiety and depression during pregnancy.

PSI offers many free resources to help-seekers, including over 50 online peer support groups. The Smart Patients forum has features that allow users to connect anonymously, at any time they want or need. 

Smart Patients Allows for Privacy

For one, users can be as private as they want to be. In PSI support groups, users can spend the majority of the 90-minute session with their cameras off if they wish, but cameras are required during introductions to create a safe space to share. On Smart Patients, users have the option to share their names and other details or remain anonymous. Similarly, PSI moderates several closed Facebook groups where users can connect with others, share their questions and concerns, and exchange peer support. Although posts are only visible to members of the group, if someone is not comfortable sharing from their personal Facebook account, the Smart Patients forum may be a better option to maintain their preferred level of privacy.

Smart Patients is Asynchronous 

A key attribute of the Smart Patients community is that the forum is available 24 hours a day. Users can submit posts and responses on their own time. This can be especially attractive to international users or those residing in different time zones than other community members. Similar to PSI’s closed Facebook groups, the Smart Patients postpartum community can be an excellent additional resource for those who attend PSI’s online peer support groups. If a help-seeker doesn’t want to wait to ask a question or seek insight until their regular weekly support group, they can hop on Smart Patients to ask their question in real-time. If a mom is up at 3:00 AM, she can scroll on the forum and join the conversation.  

Smart Patients is One of Many PSI Resources

Although Smart Patients has some unique features compared to other PSI resources, they all have one key element in common: connection. 

Fortunately, help-seekers don’t need to choose between resources. In fact, many of them utilize more than one during their recovery from a perinatal mental health disorder. Like all PSI resources, help-seekers do not need a diagnosis to join Smart Patients. They simply come as they are.

Other features of Smart Patients include an easy-to-use search function to find specific topics, the ability to direct message other forum members, and the opportunity to connect forum members with more of PSI’s free support resources, such as Chat with an Expert and the new Connect by PSI app. 

Maura shares, “Having the ability to use the search function to find prior conversation topics that may relate to the help-seeker is an incredibly helpful feature. Making the connections to other medical forums one may need and having the privacy to be anonymous truly provides a safe space for community members to share and get the support they need and deserve.”

*The Smart Patients forum does not handle emergencies. People in crisis, including those actively experiencing symptoms of postpartum psychosis, should call their local emergency number or the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

PSI’s Smart Patients Forum

Learn More about Perinatal Mental Health Disorders

Other Free PSI Resources