RESUMO
An increasing number of patients with chronic mental disease are now integrated in society. As a consequence, women with severe psychiatric illness may become pregnant and wish to complete the pregnancy and to give birth to a child. The lack of sensation of reality in these patients and their social situation may result in particular problems in their treatment, and it may be necessary to admit them to a psychiatric ward before delivery. In this paper five cases of pregnant women with severe and chronic psychosis are described. These patients had many problems in common. Thus, they were all schizophrenics with very severe psychopathology, had poor understanding of their own situation, and lacked social networks. All the fathers were non-Danish. Coercion was used in all cases. To help women with severe mental illness to go through pregnancy and childbirth requires close collaboration between psychiatric and obstetric staff and social workers, and this should be organized in an institution with experience in the treatment of this type of patient.
Assuntos
Antipsicóticos/uso terapêutico , Clopentixol/uso terapêutico , Complicações na Gravidez/psicologia , Transtornos Psicóticos/tratamento farmacológico , Transtornos Psicóticos/psicologia , Esquizofrenia Paranoide/tratamento farmacológico , Adulto , Alcoolismo/psicologia , Feminino , Humanos , Abuso de Maconha/psicologia , GravidezRESUMO
BACKGROUND: An Indian man now in Britain explained his criminal behaviour as episodic ghost possession. Traditional exorcisms failed to help. METHOD: A 'Western' diagnosis of dissociative state or paranoid schizophrenia was made. Treatment commenced using trifluoperazine and clopenthixol. RESULTS: The patient underwent remission during neuroleptic treatment, despite previous evidence of genuine possession. CONCLUSIONS: Many cultures give rise to apparently genuine cases of ghost possession. Neuroleptics may relieve symptoms of exorcism-resistant possession.