Psychiatric Pregnancy

Most women are unaware of the risks associated with taking prescription medications while pregnant. Usually the fear

To assess the mothers’ postpartum psychiatric difficulties the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS; Beck & Gable, 2000) was used. Prior to treatment, mothers completed a self-report questionnaire packed comprised of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis, 1993), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF; Abidin, 1995), and the Maternal Self-Report Inventory-Short Form (MSI-SF; Shea &

Maternal mental health (MMH) disorders occurs in one out of 10 women during pregnancy and within the first year after birth (Maternal Health, 2016). Current law in California states no requirement for perinatal or postpartum screening. AB 244 proposes to create a pilot program to increase the healthcare providers capacity and training to manage MMH conditions to serve pregnant and postpartum women up to one year after delivery (California Legislative Information, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to increase management of MMH disorders, support of bill AB 244 and Assemblymember Cristina Garcia’s opinion, how a bill becomes a law, and how nurses can impact current law.

Segre, A. R. (n.d.). Perinatal Depression: A Review of U.S. Legislation and Law. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3725295/

There are many expecting mothers who suffer from serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or borderline personality disorder that requires they must take antipsychotic drugs to remain stable. There are different types of antipsychotics like typical and atypical. Typical antipsychotics are classified as the first generation of antipyschotics. The atypical antipsychotics, the second generation, are reported to be safer than the typical antipsychotics because they are the newer form of antipsychotic medication. Even though they are reported to be safer, they still have severe side effects on the individual consuming it, like tardive dyskinesia, which are uncontrollable movements of the mouth (McCauley et al., 2009). Some drugs can affect the fetus by transferring to the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a permeable barrier that allows some chemicals to pass through. It separates the circulating blood from the brain extracellular fluid in the central nervous system. The blood-brain barrier also transports molecules to the brain that are essential to function properly, like glucose and amino acids. Since capillary endothelial cells, which line the whole circulatory system, form the blood-brain barrier the medication could be transported to the fetus. From

Stimulants are considered as a drug and are commonly used today. The question is will use of stimulants while pregnant affect the infant. A pregnant woman can be prescribed stimulants (Antidepressants) because of them being depressed and stressed out about everything that is occurring in their life while pregnant, but what many people do not see is it going to affect the infant long-term. Most mothers want what is best for their child and they want to make sure that their child is going to have a healthy life as much as possible. Is it safe to take the antidepressants while pregnant and will there be any risk factors? There is mainly a biological and environmental that reflect a child’s senses and development.

There is increasing awareness of perinatal mental health as a public health issue. The Government is keen for midwives to further develop their role in public health. Midwives need to be adequately prepared to take on a more developed role in perinatal mental health if practice improvements are to be made. I am aware that death from psychiatric causes has been the leading cause of maternal death for the last few years. Although the most recent Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health indicated that this is no longer a leading cause, mental health problems before and after childbirth have a significant impact on the health of women, family relationships and children’s subsequent

Postpartum depression, which is the most prevalent of all maternal depressive disorders, is said to be the hidden epidemic of the 21st century. (1) Despite its high prevalence rate of 10-15% and increased incidence, postpartum depression often goes undetected, and thus untreated. (2) Nearly 50% of postpartum depression cases are untreated. As a result, these cases are put at a high risk of being exposed to the severe and progressive nature of their depressive disorder. (3) In other words, the health conditions of untreated postpartum depression cases worsen and progress to one of their utmost stages, and they are: postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, postpartum panic disorder, postpartum post traumatic stress, and postpartum psychosis.

Despite the physical changes that a woman is to expect during her pregnancy, a major concern that requires attention is a period of expected feelings of depression that a woman may encounter known as baby blues. Although normal, and expected baby blues can lead into post partum depression that involves a myriad of emotions and mood swings. If not addressed postpartum depression can lead to a more severe form of baby blues known in the clinical world as postpartum non-psychotic depression that requires professional intervention. The therapeutic goal during this time is to prevent the new mother from committing suicide where she poses a danger to both herself and her newborn.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 20 people suffer from depression (2014). Although widely recognized and somewhat easy to diagnose, depression is an ignored and almost hidden, disease. In women, the statistics are especially grim for those who are pregnant or were recently pregnant. A great number of women suffer from postpartum depression; an illness which is often overlooked, misdiagnosed and untreated. Postpartum depression (PPD) has been defined as an emotional disorder that occurs in an estimated 10-15% of all women after childbirth (Liberto, 2010). Postpartum depression not only impacts the mother, but can cause long-term psychological challenges for the baby and create emotional turmoil for all family members.

According to two recent studies, 7-13% of all postpartum women suffer from depression. Even more alarming, the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in mothers who have pre-term infants rises to 30-40% according to a recent review (Robertson E, Grace S, Wallington T, Stewart DE., 2004; Schmied V, Johnson M, Naidoo N, et al., 2013). Mood and anxiety disorders, specifically PPD, are severe, yet common complications in women of reproductive age. Undertreated depression in postpartum women is associated with health risks for both the mother and infant, making the goal of euthymia a top priority in the care of postpartum women. Current practice regarding PPD focuses on the triad approach of early detection and prevention, the use of pharmacotherapy, and the use of psychotherapy. However, the treatment of mental illness during pregnancy requires weighing the benefits of pharmacological treatment for the mother, to the risk of the medications on the growth and development of the fetus as well as the theoretical risks associated with undertreated depression. However, many studies are showing that the risks of postpartum depression to both the mother and infant significantly outweigh the risks of pharmacological treatment during pregnancy. Also, due to the ethical issues surrounding trials of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy, further research to determine evidenced-based methods of treatment are still necessary. The most important intervention to date is a

Ongoing sleep deprivation, the intense experience of birth, radical role shifts, and hormonal fluctuations all collide to produce mood swings, irritability, and feelings of being overwhelmed in the majority of mothers. While as many as 80% experience some form of the “baby blues,” a smaller percentage experience Postpartum Depression, with even fewer moms that experience Postpartum Psychosis. Treatments vary depending degree and intensity of symptoms, and can include talk therapy/psychotherapy (individually or group), antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy, and other modalities. Awareness encompasses knowing and recognizing signs and symptoms. In order to minimize the harmful effects of this disorder, we should know our risk factors, conduct regular screenings, engage recent moms in expressing feelings, and sustain postpartum support groups.

Midwives, obstetricians and gynecologists are often the central medical caregivers for women and as such they are likely to be the first or only medical providers to identify, refer and coordinate a plan of care for women who have mood disorders. Early detection, intervention, treatment in conjunction with individualized care is imperative and greatly reduces the risk of adverse effects for the mother, infant and family. However fifty percent of women with these disorders are never diagnosed because many symptoms of mood disorders overlap with the symptoms of pregnancy and often are overlooked (Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, 2009). If left untreated these women can continue to have symptoms, sometimes for many

Perinatal mental illness is a collective term used to describe mental illnesses experienced by at least 10% of women during pregnancy and up until a year after birth (Hogg, 2014). Mental health is with paramount importance to the role of the midwife (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), 2014) as mental illness is a significant threat to the lives of mothers and can have a huge effect for their babies and families (Knight et al., 2015). Between 2009 and 2013 there were 161 maternal deaths related to mental health problems, one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United Kingdom (UK) (Knight et al., 2015). The main types of mental health disorders, signs and symptoms along with possible treatments

Postpartum mood disorders is defined as a spectrum of illness including postpartum blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis. The postpartum blues are extremely common and no specific treatment is usually needed. Postpartum depression is less common and may significantly impact both the health of the mother and baby. Postpartum psychosis is extremely rare with clinical features including mania, psychotic thoughts, severe depression, and other thought disorders, and requires hospitalization. This paper will focus on reviewing and discussing postpartum depression.