Likelihood of Bipolar Outcome Is Elevated with Postpartum Onset of Psychiatric Illness

Recognizing bipolar disorder is notoriously difficult if it does not present as frank mania. These researchers examined the relationship between postpartum onset of psychiatric illness and ultimate bipolar diagnosis by examining 15 years of Danish registry data on 120,378 women. The women, born between 1950 and 1991, had a first inpatient or outpatient contact for a psychiatric diagnosis other than bipolar disorder; 2870 women had initial contact in the first postpartum year.

During the 15-year follow-up, diagnoses for 3062 women were changed to a bipolar mood disorder (132 within first postpartum year). Analyses controlled for parents' psychiatric history and initial diagnosis. Compared with women whose first psychiatric contact occurred ou…