Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-04T22:00:18.191Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Post-partum psychoses

Clinical diagnoses and relative risk of admission after parturition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

Inger Merete Terp*
Affiliation:
KAS Glostrup, Psychiatric Department P. Nordre Ringvej, DK 2600 Glostrup, Denmark
Preben Bo Mortensen
Affiliation:
Institute for Basic Psychiatric Research, Department of Psychiatric Demography, Psychiatric Hospital in Aarhus, DK 8240, Risskov, Denmark
*
Dr I. M. Terp, KAS Glostrup, Psychiatric Department P, Nordre Ringvej, DK 2600 Glostrup, Denmark

Abstract

Background

Previous studies have suggested that the risk for psychosis, especially affective psychosis, is highly increased during the first 30 days after delivery. The aim of our study was to replicate these findings.

Method

LinkingThe Danish Medical Birth Register and The Danish Psychiatric Central Register from 1 January 1973 to 31 December 1993 revealed 1253 admissions diagnosed as psychosis within 91 days after delivery. The admission rate after delivery was compared with the admission rate among non-puerperal women in the general Danish female population.

Results

The relative risk of all admissions was only slightly increased, RR=I.09 (95% C11.03–1.16). The admission rate concerning first admissions was highly increased, RR=3.21 (95% CI 2.96–3.49) whereas the admission rate concerning readmissions was reduced, RR=0.66 (95% CI 0.61–0.72).

Conclusions

Childbirth is a strong risk factor for first admission with psychosis, but the risk may be less increased than previously assumed.

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Appleby, L. Fox, H. Shaw, M. et al (1989) The psychiatrist in the obstetric unit establishing a liaison service. British Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 510515.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brockington, I. F. & Cox-Roper, A. (1988) The nosology of puerperal mental illness. In Motherhood and Mental Illness 2 (eds Kumar, R. & Brockington, I. F.). pp. 117. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Brockington, I. F. Cernik, K. F. Schofield, E. M. et al (1981) Puerperal psychosis. Archives of General Psychiatry, 38, 829833.Google Scholar
Danmarks Statistik (1988) Befolkningens bevægelser 1986. Vital Statistics. København.Google Scholar
Danmarks Statistik (1995) Befolkningens bevægelser 1993. Vital Statistics. København.Google Scholar
Dean, C. & KendelI, R. E. (1981) The symptomatology of puerperal illnesses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 139, 128133.Google Scholar
Haverkamp, F. Propping, P. & Hilgeer, T. (1982) Is there an increase of reproductive rates in schizophrenia? Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 232, 439450.Google Scholar
Ipsen, J. & Feigl, P. (1970) Bancroft's Introduction to Biostatistics, pp. 7375. New York: Harper and Row.Google Scholar
Jonsson, S. A. (1991) Marriage rates and fertility in cycloid psychoses: comparison with affective disorders, schizophrenia and the general population. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 241, 119125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kendell, R. E. Chalmers, C. J. & Platz, C. (1987) Epidemiology of puerperal psychoses. British Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 662673.Google Scholar
Kumar, R. (1994) Postnatal mental illness: a transcultural perspective. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 29, 250264.Google Scholar
McNeil, T. F. (1987) A prospective study of postpartum psychoses in a high risk group. 2. Relationships to demographic and psychiatric history characteristics. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 75, 3543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meitzer, E. S. & Kumar, P. (1985) Puerperal mental illness, clinical features and classification. A study of 142 mother and baby admissions. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 647654.Google Scholar
Munk-Jørgensen, P. (1995) Decreasing First-Admission Rates of Schizophrenia in Denmark 1970–1991. Thesis, Psychiatric Hospital in Aarhus, Risskov, Denmark.Google Scholar
Munk-Jørgensen, & Mortensen, P. B. (1991) Hospitalization patterns in schizophrenia. A 13-year follow-up. Schizophrenia Research, 4, 19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rahman, A. U. St Clair, D. & Platz, C. (1990) Puerperal insanity in the 19th and 20th centuries. British Journal of Psychiatry, 156, 861865.Google Scholar
Videbech, P. & Gouliaev, G. (1995) First admission with puerperal psychosis: 7–14 years follow-up. Acta Psychiatrica Scandmavica, 91, 167173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Health Organization (1978) Mental Disorders: Glossary and Guide to their Classification for Use in Conjunction with International Classification of Diseases Eighth revision (ICD–8). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1992) The Tenth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD–10). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.