Inpatient mother-and-child postpartum psychiatric care: factors associated with improvement in maternal mental health.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the underexplored factors associated with significant improvement in mothers' mental health during postpartum inpatient psychiatric care. METHODS: This study analyzed clinical improvement in a prospective cohort of 869 women jointly admitted with their infant to 13 psychiatric Mother-Baby Units (MBUs) in France between 2001 and 2007. Predictive variables tested were: maternal mental illness (ICD-10), sociodemographic characteristics, mental illness and childhood abuse history, acute or chronic disorder, pregnancy and birth data, characteristics and mental health of the mother's partner, and MBU characteristics. RESULTS: Two thirds of the women improved significantly by discharge. Admission for 25% was for a first acute episode very early after childbirth. Independent factors associated with marked improvement at discharge were bipolar or depressive disorder, a first acute episode or relapse of such an episode. Schizophrenia, a personality disorder, and poor social integration (as measured by occupational status) were all related to poor clinical outcomes. DISCUSSION: Most women improved significantly while under care in MBUs. Our results emphasize the importance of the type of disease but also its chronicity and the social integration when providing postpartum psychiatric care.

[Antidepressive effects of 3 endogenous monoamines: psychopharmacologic profiles of noradrenaline, octopamine and phenethylamine]. / Effet "antidépresseur" de 3 monoamines endogènes: profils psychopharmacologiques de la noradrénaline, de l'octopamine et de la phényléthylamine.

Norepinephrine (NE), octopamine (OA) and phenethylamine (PEA) are easily destroyed by M.A.O. but we could show, even injected intraperitoneally that they are active upon tests used generally to reveal an "antidepressant" effect. This effect is especially studied by using antagonism of apomorphine, reserpine, oxotremorine-induced hypothermia. The psychopharmacological spectra of NE and OA are close to the one of salbutamol and the observed effects correspond to alpha- and beta-adrenergic stimulations. The PEA spectrum is similar to the one of amphetamine and the observed effects correspond to adrenergic stimulations and to a dopaminergic stimulation. The mechanisms involved in the tests realized to show an "antidepressant" effect could reflect an activity not only through endogeneous NA but also possibly through endogeneous OA and PEA.