Abstract
Depression is common in the perinatal period, with prevalence rates of 14.4%, but prevalence rates of adjustment disorder in this period have not been established. We aimed to examine the characteristics of women attending a perinatal psychiatry service diagnosed with adjustment disorder (AD) or depressive episodes (DE). The data were collected as part of a multicentre case-control study of 370 patients, 45 of whom were recruited from perinatal psychiatry service at a maternity hospital. We recruited 45 patients with AD or DE diagnosed in the perinatal period and compared them to a matched sample of 109 non-perinatal women. Almost half, 22 (48.9%) perinatal women had a diagnosis of AD and 23 (51.1%) had a diagnosis of DE. Of the perinatal participants, those with AD had more stressful life events, and suicidal ideation and behaviours were three times more common (31.8%) in AD than in DE (8.7%). There were no significant differences in levels of suicidality between the perinatal and the non-perinatal groups. In our cohort, AD is associated with symptoms of depression including suicidal ideation during the perinatal period. Further study is required to examine the relationship between stressors and suicidality in this population.
Highlights
Depressive illnesses are common in the perinatal period, especially adjustment disorder (AD) and depressive episodes (DE)
We aimed to examine the presenting symptoms of women attending the perinatal psychiatry service at a Dublin maternity hospital, who were diagnosed with AD or DE, and to compare them to a comparison group recruited from the liaison psychiatry services at two other Dublin hospitals matched for age, gender, and clinical diagnosis
We compared those participants recruited from the perinatal psychiatry service at one of Ireland’s three National Maternity Hospitals, who were diagnosed by the perinatal psychiatrists with either DE or AD, based on the ICD-10 diagnostic criteria, with a matched sample from the other two general medical hospitals
Summary
Depressive illnesses are common in the perinatal period (pregnancy and the first postnatal year), especially adjustment disorder (AD) and depressive episodes (DE). The postpartum period is associated with higher rates of AD, generalised anxiety disorder and DE [1]. The only Irish study to examine perinatal depression reported community prevalence rates of 14% [2], which are consistent with international prevalence rates of 10%–15% [3]. DE is a disorder characterised by a number of symptoms and associated impairment of functioning. The two international diagnostic classification systems require the presence of 3 core symptoms (low mood, reduced energy and reduced interest) for a diagnosis to be made, along with a number of other biological and cognitive symptoms [4,5]. There is overlap in symptoms with depressive episodes and anxiety disorders. Public Health 2019, 16, 3970; doi:10.3390/ijerph16203970 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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