Abstract Body

The risk of mothers to develop a severe mental illness is dramatically increased in the first three months after giving birth. Childbirth has the strongest relationship with postpartum affective psychosis, a condition that is characterized by an acute onset of florid symptoms, usually within 2 weeks of delivery, and atypical features, such as rapidly fluctuating psychotic symptoms, florid motor symptoms, perplexity and high risks to the mother and her baby.

Follow up data of women with a first episode suggest that some women only become ill in the context of childbirth whereas in others it is an expression of a lifelong bipolar disorder. Whether this reflects two distinct forms of the disorder or different degrees of vulnerability requires future study.

The profound hormonal and metabolic as well as psychosocial changes in the perinatal period give rise to a number of hypotheses that seek to explain the pathogenesis of postpartum psychosis. Current research findings on biological and psychosocial risk factors will be discussed as well as what is currently known about responses to treatment.

Abstract Body

In the perinatal period, about 15-20 % of women will present a mental health disorder. These disorders, as with all sources of psychological and physical stress in early childhood, especially the poor quality of parent-child relationships, are widely involved in predicting poor mental health in adulthood. The economic cost of perinatal mental health, corollary of this human cost, evaluated in 2014 would amount to £GBP 8.1 billion per annual birth cohort according to a UK report. This report highlights another fundamental element: 3/4 of the costs are associated with the deleterious consequences of parental psychological disorders on child development. The mechanisms involved in the relationship between parental psychiatric disorders and child development are complex. On the other hand, the influence of parental characteristics on the future of children can vary depending on social determinants such as familial income level.
During the perinatal period, parental mental health represents one of the keys to the infant development. Perinatal psychiatry allows a dual approach essential to deal with the complexity of perinatal psychiatry care, combining a curative aim (care of the parent) and a preventive one (preventing the risk of dysfunction in the process of becoming parents, in parent-child relationships and of impaired child developement). This intervention wil discuss how this interactive circle must be supported by perinatal mental health policies, of which the joint care of parents and infants (from parent-child psychotherapy to joint mother-baby hospitalisation) in perinatal psychiatry is a pivotal element.

Abstract Body

Mental health support for parents, infants and children as an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral task has existed for decades in many European countries. A highlighted goal of integrated services (medical, social and educational) is to support competent parenting and the positive parent-child relationship, for the optimal development including mental health of infants and children.

In clinical practice, the role of psychiatrists is often linked to healing and rehabilitation, even though we also have an important role in prevention.

The mental support, treatment and prevention of psychiatric disorders during the pre-, peri- and postnatal period are often not considered being preventive measures.

The perinatal period is the most sensitive and at the same time one of the most important stages of our lives. The traumas suffered during this period affect both the mother and the newborn, in fact it affects the family as a whole.

Models for the prevention of early trauma appear at the level of social community and, inter alia, health and social care.

Traumas are closely linked to social determinants of health.

Gene environment interactions also allow for the transgenerational transmission of trauma.

The presentation introduces individual and family levels of interdisciplinary care, good practices and programs the knowledge of which may be important to psychiatrists. How the practicing psychiatrist can contribute to trauma prevention and how to understand the development of resilience.

The presenter will detail good practices, and highlight the possibilities for all clinicians on ways to work in their respective field with a trauma preventive approach.