The History of Perinatal Psychiatry

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Holly Krohn ◽  
Samantha Meltzer-Brody

Mental health problems during and immediately after pregnancy are a major concern across the world. As well as affecting the health of the mother, they can have significant, harmful, and long term effects on the infant if not dealt with effectively. Perinatal Psychiatry honors the work of Channi Kumar, one of the seminal figures in the history of perinatal psychiatry, and presents a comprehensive multidisciplinary review of the field. Bringing together the leading researchers in the area, it covers the causes of perinatal mental health problems, the biology of perinatal depression and its more extreme form, puerperal psychosis, as well as psychosocial and psychological interventions, hormonal and neural substrates of perinatal depression, and risk factors and epidemiology.


This book presents a collection of chapters written by women psychiatrists working in, or who have recently worked in, the National Health Service (NHS). In addition, there are chapters by a medical journalist and a senior NHS mental health nurse manager, as well as short profiles of some women whose work has made a difference to psychiatry. The subjects covered are diverse and include descriptions of women’s roles in perinatal psychiatry, women-only units, forensic, old age, and intellectual difficulties services. There are chapters analysing roles of women as psychiatry trainees and trainers, as managers, and as doctors with mental illnesses. Chapters on the history of women in medicine and psychiatry are included. The modern legal framework for decision-making for vulnerable people is covered and the psychoanalytical perspective is particularly emphasized in chapters on historic abuse and the functioning of mental health units. Some chapters are autobiographical and some are biographical. This book is of interest to specialists and non-specialists alike and explores some of the main changes to mental health services in the twentieth century, from the perspective of women doctors. These chapters will help reduce stigma about mental illnesses and demystify the world of psychiatry. Young readers may be inspired to consider careers in this fascinating field that not only seeks to understand the human mind but also uses science and evidence to improve psychiatric treatments.


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