Postpartum Psychosis: Risk Factors

Among patients with bipolar or schizoaffective disorder, first-time mothers and those with complicated deliveries might especially be at risk.

Postpartum psychosis is most often a manic episode of bipolar disorder rather than schizophrenia or another form of psychosis. Previous studies have identified the following risk factors: primiparity, complications of pregnancy and delivery, birth of a female infant, shortened gestation, and surgical delivery. However, in most of these studies, various kinds of postpartum psychosis were grouped together, and risk factors were examined cross-sectionally.

Now, U.K. investigators have conducted a retrospective study limited to 129 white women with lifetime diagnoses of bipolar or schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type) who had suffered at least one manic or affective psychotic episode within 4 weeks after childbirth (97% with onset by 2 weeks).…

Reviewing Author

Nada L. Stotland, MD, MPH