Priorities for mental health promotion during pregnancy and infancy in primary health care.

The perinatal period (shortly before and after birth) is a particularly significant stage, providing a sound base for healthy development. Primary health care should accompany the individual through the entire life cycle, and mental health problems constitute a public health threat that calls for the development of mental health promotion initiatives in primary health care. Responding, in 2004 our team initiated an action research project with the aim of reorganising primary health care during pregnancy and the first year of life.