title: A prospective study of thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation during the postpartum period in women with mood disorders.
abstract: Individuals with mood disorders are at higher risk for self-harm and suicidal ideation than other psychiatric group. However, the risk of self-harm and suicidal ideation after pregnancy for women with mood disorders is unknown. This investigation assessed the prevalence of thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation during the 1-year postpartum period in women with major depressive disorder or bipolar II disorder. Data were collected between June 2005 and March 2010 from a convenience sample of women participating in a study on the course of mood disorders during pregnancy and postpartum. Participant diagnosis was confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. Thoughts of self-harm were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale item 10 and suicidal ideation was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale item 3. During the 1-year postpartum period, 16.97 % reported thoughts of self-harm while 6.16 % reported suicidal ideation. Further, those reporting thoughts of self-harm or suicidal ideation postpartum also reported higher levels of depression and hypomanic symptoms. We found that a number of women in our sample of women with a diagnosed mood disorder report experiencing thoughts of self-harm and suicidal ideation during the postpartum.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: Carley J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Pope
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Verinder
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: M Karen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Campbell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001714:Bipolar Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior / Q000453:epidemiology*; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult