PubMed2001
For many women childbirth is one of the most impressive life-events, but this period of life may also be a phase of increased vulnerability for psychiatric illness. 10-15% of women develop a postnatal depression (PND) after the birth of a child, and 1@1000 suffer from a puerperal psychosis. Despite the high prevalence, with estimates of approximately 10,000 women suffering annually from postnatal psychiatric disturbances in Austria, there has been a lack of medical attendance for these women and their children. Motivated by a research initiative from the EU on transcultural aspects of postnatal depression (PND) with 17 participating research centers world-wide, a research team at the Vienna University Clinic for Psychiatry initiated the investigation of conditions for mother-child-admissions at 31 psychiatric wards in Austria. These departments were asked about the possibility of conjoint mother-child-admission, and their experiences with this form of admission; 23 departments (74.2%) provided information. A total of 12 departments responded that they theoretically accepted mothers with their babies; however, they also indicated that until now these conjoint admissions had been performed only very rarely or not at all. Based on many years of experience in the field of postpartum mental health in Great Britain, British researchers have developed guidelines for need assessment and health care provision for women with postpartum psychiatric disorders. With the help of these guidelines, the Viennese team of psychiatrists tried to develop fundamental concepts for need assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients suffering from postpartum mental illness in Austria.