Postpartum hospitalization of psychotic parents with their infant: a case study.
BACKGROUND
Parents with mental illness are at risk for exacerbations during the postpartum period. The management of family members needing concurrent psychiatric hospitalization is unclear. This article describes the advantages and difficulties of a family hospitalization, focusing on the splitting processes in the staff and the use of "couple ego functions'.


METHODS
A couple, simultaneously psychotic after the sequential births of two children, were hospitalized separately after the birth of the first child, and simultaneously in the same room after the birth of the second child.


RESULTS
The hospitalization of the couple with their infant led to a shorter, less stressful hospitalization, and strengthened the functioning of the family unit.


CONCLUSIONS
Simultaneous hospitalization of family members is feasible and may lead to better clinical results.
Katzenelson
Sarah Kandel
SK
Eitanim Psychiatric Hospital, affiliated with the Hebrew University Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel. lskandel@hotmail.com
Fainstein
Vladislav
V
Maizel
Shmuel
S
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*