Psychiatric Disorders of Pregnancy and Postpartum
Pregnancy is the cause of many changes that may be responsible for an imbalance in the psyche of a woman. Also, during pregnancy, we must look for risk factors of onset of psychiatric disorders such as psychiatric history, personal and / or family history of obstetric accidents, a psycho-social context especially ..Disorders encountered DURING pregnancy are::-minor ailments: vomiting, anxiety attacks, phobias ...-a depressive syndrome before birth and usually varied in intensity.The troubles encountered DURING THE POSTPARTUM (after childbirth) are more frequent and of 3 types: :-The baby blues or the 3rd day syndrome : the most frequent, it usually occurs between the 3rd and 6th day and can last from several hours to 4-5 days. It is totally benin and regresses completelyThe patient has a feeling of guilt, failure, irritability with sleep disturbance, fear of not knowing how to care for the baby, not being a good mother ... It is important to reassure the mother about the common and temporary character of these symptoms and support the mother-child relationship. No psychiatric drug treatment is helpful.-Depressions in the Postpartum: : less frequent, they are found in the weeks or months after delivery. We can see in the mother a delusional conviction of being unable to care for the child and a sense of guilt regarding her responsibility to death or misfortune A stay at a psychiatric hospital is needed and a drug treatment with antidepressants. It is essential to preserve the mother-child relationship.-Puerperal psychosis confuso-delusion: : It appears suddenly within 3 weeks after delivery. The patient has a delirium (with a hangover and disorientation in time and space) and lability of mood (alternating with agitation, sadness ...). We find an almost systematic denial of motherhood, a feeling of not belonging to the child or the belief that her child has been changed A stay at a psychiatric hospital in mother-child unit is needed. An initial separation with the baby is necessary knowing that it will be essential to follow it up by a prudent reconciliation under supervision. Neuroleptic medication is put in place..
Victor Hugo