Archives of general psychiatry
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Arch. Gen. Psychiatry · Apr 2012
Psychiatric disorders with postpartum onset: possible early manifestations of bipolar affective disorders.
Childbirth has an important influence on the onset and course of bipolar affective disorder, and it is well established that there may be a delay of many years before receiving a diagnosis of bipolar disorder following an initial episode of psychiatric illness. ⋯ A psychiatric episode in the immediate postpartum period significantly predicted conversion to bipolar affective disorder during the follow-up period. Results indicate that the presentation of mental illness in the early postpartum period is a marker of possible underlying bipolarity.