Psychiatric illness in women: a review of the function of a specialist mother-baby unit.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this paper is to describe a specialist program in a psychiatric mother-baby unit and to review the characteristics (including mothering skills) and outcomes on discharge of 36 women consecutively admitted to the unit over an intensive 6-month observation period. Changes in admissions to the same unit over 10 years were also compared.


METHODS
Consecutive admissions were studied in terms of demographics, ethnicity, diagnosis, psychiatric history, psychiatric information and mother-infant data.


RESULTS
The majority of women admitted suffered from schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders, with the second largest diagnostic criteria being depression. For 20 mothers, this was the first psychiatric admission and most admissions were voluntary. The mean length of stay was 21.7 days, representing a highly significant decrease in stay when compared to the past 10 years in the same unit. Mothering skills were found to be incompetent or only passable in 57% of women. A small improvement occurred by discharge, and the majority of women were not separated from their infants.


CONCLUSIONS
The critical need to support these women and their infants in the long term was highlighted, with recommendations of outpatient and day programs, as well as supported accommodation.
Milgrom
J
J
Department of Clinical Psychology, Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre, Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia.
Burrows
G D
GD
Snellen
M
M
Stamboulakis
W
W
Burrows
K
K
D000328:Adult; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007224:Infant Care / Q000592:standards; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009517:New South Wales; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies