With nine per cent of expectant women and 16 per cent of new mothers suffering postnatal depression as well as one in 10 men, the Black Dog Institute, in its latest writing competition, is focusing the spotlight on their stories.

The Institute is looking to provide more answers to deal with the problem of mood disorders during a vulnerable two-year span that takes in the period of pregnancy, childbirth and the baby's first year.

The 2010/2011 essay competition is titled Postnatal Depression, Men and Women - Personal Experiences and the Search for Real Answers.

Over the past seven years, Professor Gordon Parker, Executive Director of Black Dog Institute, said that the writing competitions had focused on a wide range of topics such as adolescent depression, tackling mood disorders in the workplace, and mastering depression and bipolar disorder; resulting in the publication of five books by distinguished publishing companies.