title: Views and experiences of suicidal ideation during pregnancy and the postpartum: findings from interviews with maternal care clinic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perinatal suicidality (i.e., thoughts of death, suicide attempts, or self-harm during the period immediately before and up to 12 months after the birth of a child) is a significant public health concern. Few investigations have examined the patients' own views and experiences of maternal suicidal ideation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between April and October 2010, researchers identified 14 patient participants at a single university-based medical center for a follow-up, semi-structured interview if they screened positive for suicidal ideation on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) short form. In-depth interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide. Researchers transcribed all interviews verbatim and analyzed transcripts using thematic network analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants described the experience of suicidality during pregnancy as related to somatic symptoms, past diagnoses, infanticide, family psychiatric history (e.g., completed suicides and family member attempts), and pregnancy complications. The network of themes included the perinatal experience, patient descriptions of changes in mood symptoms, illustrations of situational coping, and reported mental health service use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The interview themes suggested that in this small sample, pregnancy represented a critical time period to screen for suicide and to establish treatment for the mothers in the study. These findings may assist health care professionals in the development of interventions designed to identify, assess, and prevent suicidality among perinatal women.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. ktabb@illinois.edu
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Tabb
authors.forename: Amelia R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gavin
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Hsiang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Debiec
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Katon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D019052:Depression, Postpartum / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008427:Maternal Health Services; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D049590:Postpartum Period; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult