Puerperal insanity in the 19th and 20th centuries.
All patients with puerperal psychosis admitted to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital within 90 days of childbirth during the periods 1880-90 and 1971-80 were compared. The majority of cases in both groups had an affective illness with an acute presentation and a fixed interval of onset. The 19th-century cases had a more florid presentation and a greater length of admission (mean, 151 days) to the hospital than the 20th-century ones (mean, 39 days). The incidence of the disorder rose from 0.34 per 1000 childbirths per year in the 19th-century group to 1.04 in the 20th-century one, but this could be explained by nosocomial factors. Most 19th-century cases occurred in multigravid women, which questions the association of puerperal psychosis with primiparae.
Government Mental Hospital, Peshawar, Pakistan.
A U
AU
Rehman
D
D
St Clair
C
C
Platz
D005260:Female; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011247:Pregnancy; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history; D012606:Scotland; D013997:Time Factors