Experiencing a psychiatric episode within the first 30 days after giving birth appears to be associated with an increased risk of developing bipolar affective disorder, according to a report published online by Archives of General Psychiatry.
Childbirth is a time of dramatic psychological and physiological changes, and previous studies have linked episodes of post-partum psychosis to bipolar affective disorder.
“It is also clear, however, that a high number of women with the new onset of a psychiatric disorder in the immediate post-partum period do not receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder,” the authors noted.
Based on data from 120, 278 women, researchers were able to confirm the well-established link between childbirth and bipolar affective disorder, and added to this field of research by showing that initial psychiatric contact within the first 30 days post-partum significantly predicted conversion to bipolar affective disorder.
"Results indicate that the presentation of mental illness in the early post-partum period is a marker of possible underlying bipolarity,” the authors concluded.
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