Mental Illness in Pregnancy and the Puerperium

Abstract

In the foreword to<i>Mental Illness in Pregnancy and the Puerperium</i>, Professor Sir John Dewhurst writes: "The disorders of the mind during pregnancy have received far less attention than the disorders of the body." The implication is that this brief collection of papers from different British authors will rectify this lack of attention and fill a void. Unfortunately, this book falls short of that goal, and it will likely satisfy neither psychiatrists, obstetricians, nor physicians interested in bridging the gap between the two. The book, short as it is, would have benefited from tighter editing and less anecdotal material. Its one virtue, however, is its discussion of the biologic basis of postpartum emotional illness. That alone may make it worth reading.