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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women who are first-time moms may have their hands full with more than just the newness of taking care of a baby.
A new study reveals new mothers are more at risk for mental disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorder during the three months after their first child is born. It also shows first-time dads do not have an increased risk for the conditions.
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Researchers in Denmark looked at 630,373 women and 547,431 men who became parents for the first time. They found 1,171 women and 658 men were admitted to a psychiatric hospital with a mental problem during the first 12 months after they had their first child. The number of severe mental disorders during the first three months was 1.03 per 1,000 births for mothers and 0.37 per 1,000 births for fathers.
Results also show the highest risk for first admission with a mental disorder was during the first few weeks and months after first-time moms gave birth, especially 10 to 19 days after childbirth.
But the authors found fatherhood was not associated with any increased risk of being admitted to a hospital or getting outpatient care. They conclude, "This may indicate that the causes of postpartum mental disorders are more strongly linked to an altered physiological process related to pregnancy and childbirth than psychosocial aspects of motherhood."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;296:2616-2618
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