[Prognosis of the onset of postpartum psychosis. Demographic, obstetric and psychiatric factors].

The aim of the present study was to investigate women who had first-episode psychosis within the first year after parturition. The investigation was carried out by linking the Danish Psychiatric Case register and The Danish Medical Birth register to identify all women admitted for the first time to a psychiatric department in the county of Arhus with a psychotic episode. Fifty cases were found, giving a frequency of 1 per 1000 births. First-episode psychotic disorder within the first month postpartum occurred in 1 case per 2000 deliveries. Compared to the background population the cases were more often primiparous than would be expected. Birth complications did not occur more frequently than expected, but the probands had a higher incidence of preterm delivery than the controls. The follow-up, seven to 14 years later, was carried out by interviewing the patients' general practitioners. Forty percent of the women had not retained full working capacity due to mental disorder and recurrences were very common (60%), especially of the nonpuerperal type. The prognosis thus seems rather gloomy.