BMJ  2006;333:1213 (9 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7580.1213-c

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Primiparous women are vulnerable to all kinds of mental illness postpartum

The arrival of a first child is a major upheaval for both men and women. For women, it also ushers in a period of vulnerability to mental illness. The association between childbirth and depression is well known, but linkage of data from two large Danish registries shows that women having their first child are also at increased risk of other mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. In this study, women who had given birth between 10 and 19 days before were seven times more likely to be admitted to hospital with a serious mental illness than women who had given birth 11-12 months before (relative risk 7.31 (95% CI 5.44 to 9.81)). The risk decreased with time but remained significant for three months overall. Women remained vulnerable to schizophrenia for one month after a first baby, to bipolar illnesses for two months, and to depression for five months.

The researchers found no evidence of a link between first time parenthood and mental illness for men. If anything, they seemed less likely to be admitted for treatment in the first few weeks after the birth (relative risk between 10 and 19 days 0.50 (0.26 to 0.95)). The researchers also found that the association between childbirth and mental illness in women was weaker for the second child and had disappeared by the third.

References

JAMA 2006;296:2582-9[Abstract/Full Text]

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