Psychiatria pre prax 3/2015

Mental health during pregnancy and after childbirth

Pregnancy and postpartum period represent during a woman‘s life, in terms of manifestations of mental disorders, risk period. The most commonly occurring disorders include tocofobia, postpartum blues, postpartum, respectively perinatal depression and postpartum psychosis. Etiology could also be considered as the first manifestation of endogenous mental disorder or a relapse/decompensation of existing endogenous mental disorder. Despite the fact that a woman at that time regularly visit the doctors, mental disturbances often remain undiagnosed, which significantly reduces the quality of life of the mother, child and whole family, negatively influence the further course of the disorder, and it is also risk factor for suicide. Pharmacotherapy during pregnancy and lactation has also its limitations, it is always necessary to assess the benefit-risk ratio, but not only for the mother, but also for the developing child.

Keywords: pregnancy, postpartum mental disorders, perinatal depression, postpartum psychosis.