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Mental Health in Pregnancy

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Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers

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Abstract

For many psychiatric illnesses, the onset of symptoms begins during the late teens to the early thirties [1]. This is especially concerning in women, as it coincides with the childbearing years. Pregnancy was once thought to be protective of psychiatric illness. However, as the recent explosion of literature addressing the safety of psychotropic agents in pregnancy illustrates, the puerperal period is not exempt from mental illness [2–4]. The presence of mental illness in pregnancy is associated with poor compliance with prenatal care; increased tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substance use; inadequate maternal nutrition; poor mother–infant bonding; and disruption of the home environment [5]. Timely and thorough investigation into symptoms are essential in order to guide interventions and steer the mother and her unborn back to health.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Luminis Health, J. Kent McNew Family Medical Center, Annapolis, MD, USA

    Eric L. Anderson

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  1. Eric L. Anderson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Emergency Medicine, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/ The Chicago Medical School, North Chicago, IL, USA

    Leslie S. Zun

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, CO, USA

    Kimberly Nordstrom

  3. Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA

    Michael P. Wilson

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Anderson, E.L. (2021). Mental Health in Pregnancy. In: Zun, L.S., Nordstrom, K., Wilson, M.P. (eds) Behavioral Emergencies for Healthcare Providers. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_36

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-52520-0_36

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