A history of depression with psychotic features modifies a woman’s risk for depression after childbirth

ABSTRACT

Objective: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a prevalent disorder that can result in negative child developmental outcomes. While a maternal history of unipolar depression is understood to be the largest risk factor, how a history of unipolar depression with psychotic features modifies PPD risk remains unclear. Methods: In a prospective cohort of all women with single infant births in Sweden, 1997–2008, the study explored the relative risk (RR) of PPD for mothers with a depression history, both with and without psychotic features. Results: Of the 707,701 mothers observed, 4,397 received a PPD diagnosis (62 per 10,000). PPD incidence in women without a depression history was 48 per 10,000 compared to 1,154 per 10,000 for those with a depression history (RR = 27.0). The incidence of PPD in women with a depression history that included psychotic features was 2,360 per 10,000 (RR = 37.9). Conclusion: PPD risk is significantly elevated among women who had a history of depression with psychotic features compared to women with a history of depression without psychotic features.

KEYWORDS:

• Postpartum depression
• unipolar depression
• psychosis
• epidemiology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [HD073010].