Pregnancy and mental illness: Implications for clinical practice

Abstract Appendix Background: The low prevalence mental disorders including Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder have been less of a focus within perinatal mental health research and clinical service development. This symposium will provide an overview of the research basis for these disorders in the perinatal period, treatments and current clinical practice recommendations Objectives: This symposium will examine interventions and child outcomes for Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder in pregnancy. The three key mental health components of care in pregnancy are: 1. identification of mental illness, 2. balancing the risks and benefits of treatments for mother and fetus, and 3. consideration of the impact on the future child’s development of effective management of antenatal mental illness. This symposium will place our current knowledge on Schizophrenia, Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder in pregnancy in this clinical context and make recommendations for future research. Methods: The first paper will discuss the management of Schizophrenia in pregnancy with a focus on treatment choice and current evidence base. The subsequent two papers will discuss the risks and understanding of the effects of Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder in pregnancy. These two papers will also present specific data collected in Australia relevant to this topic. Findings: Maternal Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder may have an adverse impact on perinatal outcomes. However, there is only limited research available on these mental disorders in pregnancy with a particular lack of research on developmental outcomes for offspring. Conclusions: Management of maternal mental illness in pregnancy is of paramount importance for both mother and child. Further research on proposed models of care and interventions in pregnancy requires a focus both on maternal health and wellbeing but also on the longer term implications for child development to elucidate the best practice management for these disorders in pregnancy for mother and child