In a nearly 2,500-word story, The Atlantic (9/6, Lucchesi) reports, “Medical researchers estimate that untreated postpartum psychosis leads to an estimated four percent risk of infanticide, and a five percent risk of suicide.” Currently, 12 “states have new legislation or special programs intended to build awareness of postpartum psychosis among new mothers and medical” professionals. Meanwhile, “lawmakers have also considered mandatory screening for new mothers during well-baby visits.” But, some experts in public health “have described these programs as well-intended but ineffective.” In fact, “a 2015 study in Psychiatric Services,” a publication of the American Psychiatric Association, “analyzed the various programs and concluded: ‘Despite the abundant good will, there is no evidence that state policies are addressing this great need.’” Postpartum psychosis “occurs in one to two mothers per 1,000 who give birth, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.”
Related Links:
— “When Giving Birth Leads to Psychosis, Then to Infanticide, “Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, The Atlantic, September 06, 2018.