Postpartum psychoses in female and male bipolar manic-depressive patients.

Abstract

Bipolar manic-depressive women are considered a special risk for recurrence of a childbirth-related affective episode. In a chart study of 40 fathers who are former bipolar patients, 21 had histories of an affective episode in proximity to a wife's pregnancy. When these bipolar fathers were compared with the 19 for whom no such episodes were recorded, differences were found on several parameters. Therapeutic implications of the findings are considered, and recommendations for further study are offered.