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Saving Mothers' Lives: - Public Health Agency for Northern Ireland

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Current psychiatric treatment<br />

In the last two Reports the majority of women whose deaths were due to, or associated with, psychiatric<br />

causes were receiving some <strong>for</strong>m of treatment <strong>for</strong> a psychiatric disorder during their maternity and over<br />

half of them were in contact with psychiatric services. Table 12.4 shows the highest level of psychiatric care<br />

provided <strong>for</strong> these women this triennium.<br />

Table 12.4<br />

Highest level of psychiatric care during index pregnancy: United Kingdom 2003-05.<br />

Level of care Suicide Substance<br />

misuse<br />

Cause of death<br />

Physical<br />

illness<br />

Violence<br />

Mother and baby unit 1 0 0 0 1<br />

Inpatient general 1 0 2 0 3<br />

Perinatal psychiatric team 1 0 0 0 1<br />

General psychiatric team 4 1 5 0 10<br />

Drug and alcohol team 0 8 9 2 19<br />

GP only 14 7 4 3 28<br />

None 8 5 9 4 26<br />

Not known 4 1 4 1 10<br />

All 33 22 33 10 98<br />

As in the previous Report the majority, 62 (63%), of women who died were receiving some type of<br />

psychiatric treatment. However, the number admitted to a psychiatric inpatient unit has fallen. Only four<br />

women this triennium were receiving inpatient care compared to ten in preceding Report, and, as last time,<br />

only one woman was treated in a specialist mother and baby unit.<br />

Twenty-eight women received no treatment <strong>for</strong> their psychiatric disorder and in ten cases no details were<br />

available. Less than half of the women who had substance misuse problems had been in contact with<br />

specialist drug or alcohol services during their pregnancy.<br />

Risk identifi cation and management<br />

As shown in Table 12.5, 79 of the 98 women whose deaths are considered in this Chapter had a past<br />

psychiatric history and were at risk of a recurrence of their disorder, or a relapse of their condition, following<br />

childbirth. For 55 (70%) of these women this risk was identifi ed in early pregnancy but less than half of<br />

these women had had a management plan developed and put in place. In only a few of these cases was<br />

the management plan either adequate or communicated between maternity and psychiatric services.<br />

All<br />

159

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