Pregnant patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit: An 18-months’ experience

Abstract

Objective

Our aim was to describe demographic data of pregnant patients admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit and analyze treatment preferences for acutely ill pregnant patients.

Methods

A prospective chart review was carried out to identify pregnant patients who admitted to the inpatient unit during the period April 2014–September 2015. Details regarding their sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment data were obtained from these records for the study.

Results

The total number of pregnant patients, admitted to our psychiatry inpatient clinic during the survey period was 15. The mean age of the patients was 30.33 (with a range of 21–38 years). Two thirds of the patients were hospitalized in the 1st trimester. Bipolar disorder (46.6%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by psychotic disorder (33%), and unipolar severe depression (20%). Eleven patients (67%) out of 15 had a psychiatric illness before getting pregnant. It was found that premenstrual syndrome was reported by 60% of patients. Haloperidol was the most frequently used psychotropic drug for the treatment of psychotic disorders and bipolar manic episodes.

Conclusion

The information regarding the course of bipolar disorder in pregnancy is controversial. While some studies support the opinion that pregnancy appeared to have a protective effect against an increase in symptoms, others stress that the risk for relapse in the pregnancy period is high. It is noteworthy that the majority of our patients are bipolar patients in the 1st trimester. The abrupt cease of mood stabilizer use may lead to recurrence in bipolar disorder.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.