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Maternal deaths from suicide must be tackled, say experts

BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6585 (Published 07 December 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i6585
  1. Gareth Iacobucci
  1. The BMJ

Maternal deaths by suicide have remained unchanged since 2003 and are now the leading cause of direct maternal deaths within a year of childbirth, says a report from researchers at the University of Oxford.1

The latest confidential inquiry into maternal deaths from MBRRACE-UK, the national collaborative programme studying maternal and infant deaths, concluded that more must be done to identify “red flag” signs of severe maternal illness that require urgent senior psychiatric assessment.

It said that admission to mother and baby units should always be considered when a woman displays a …

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