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Postnatal affective disorders. Part 1: an introduction

^1. Division of Psychiatry, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Derby Road, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK Email: margaret.oates{at}nottingham.ac.uk (corresponding author)

Key content:

• Emotional and behavioural changes affect 50–80% of new mothers between days 3 and 5 of the postnatal period.
  
• Ten percent of all recently-delivered women develop a depressive illness.
  
• The incidence of puerperal psychosis is 2 per 1000 births.
  
• Women with puerperal psychosis face a 50% risk of serious mental illness at other times in their lives.
  

Learning objectives:

• To learn about the emotional changes following childbirth.
  
• To be aware of the risk factors, clinical features and prognosis of postnatal affective disorders.
  
• To be able to prescribe the appropriate care for women with puerperal psychosis and postnatal depression.
  

Ethical issues:

• Should all women be screened for postnatal mood disorders?
  

Please cite this article as: Oates M. Postnatal affective disorders. Part 1: an introduction. The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist 2008;10:145–150.

Keywords postnatal affective disorders / postnatal depression / psychiatric mother and baby unit / puerperal psychosis / puerperium