Puerperal Mental Illness: Comparisons with Non-Puerperal Controls

Summary A sample of patients with puerperal mental illness requiring hospital admission were diagnosed retrospectively according to the criteria of DSM III. Comparisons were made with controls matched for diagnosis on a number of features of past history, symptoms, management and outcome. Puerperal illness was associated with more frequent puerperal and less frequent non-puerperal previous admissions, more frequent delusions and greater use of ECT.