Postpartum Mental Health Disorders: A Casebook offers brief, practical guidance on the recognition and management of postpartum mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), psychotic disorders, bipolar disorders, posttraumatic stress disorders, personality disorders and eating disorders.

Maternal infanticide, or the murder of a child in its first year of life by its mother, elicits sorrow, anger, horror, and outrage. But the perpetrator is often a victim, too. The editor of this revealing work asks us to reach beyond rage, stretch the limits of compassion, and enter the minds of mothers who kill their babies -- with the hope that advancing the knowledge base and stimulating inquiry in this neglected area of maternal-infant research will save young lives. Written to help remedy today's dearth of up-to-date, research-based literature, this unique volume brings together a multidisciplinary group of 17 experts -- scholars, clinicians, researchers, clinical and forensic psychiatrists, pediatric psychoanalysts, attorneys, and an epidemiologist -- who focus on the psychiatric perspective of this tragic cause of infant death. This comprehensive, practical work is organized into four parts for easy reference: Part I presents historical and epidemiological data, including a compelling discussion of the contrasting legal views of infanticide in the United States, United Kingdom, and other Western countries, a review of the latest statistics on maternal infanticide, and a discussion of the problems of underreporting and the lack of available documentation. Part II covers the psychiatric, psychological, cultural, and biological underpinnings of infanticide, detailing how to identify, evaluate, and treat postpartum psychiatric disorders. The authors explore clinical diagnosis, symptom recognition, risk factors, biological precipitants, and alternative motives, such as cultural infanticide. Chapter 3, developed to assist the attorney or mental health professional in understanding the implications of postpartum psychiatric illness as they relate to infanticide, presents a sensitive and thorough inquiry into infanticidal ideation. Part III focuses on contemporary legislation, criminal defenses, and disparate treatment in U.S. law and compares U.S. law with the U.K.'s model of probation and treatment. Chapter 8 is an especially useful resource for the attorney or expert psychiatric witness preparing for an infanticide/neonaticide case in the criminal court system. Part IV discusses clinical experience with mothers as perpetrators and countertransference in therapy, the range of mother-infant interactions (from healthy to pathological), and methods of early intervention and prevention. This balanced perspective on a highly emotional issue will find a wide audience among psychiatric and medical professionals (child, clinical, and forensic psychiatrists and psychologists; social workers; obstetricians/gynecologists and midwives; nurses; and pediatricians), legal professionals (judges, attorneys, law students), public health professionals, and interested laypersons.

One in ten women suffers from an episode of significant depression following the birth of a baby. These depressions can have a profoundly negative effect on the quality of the mother infant relationship and, in turn, on the course of child development itself. The first book in a decade to deal exclusively with the impact of postpartum depression on child development, this groundbreaking volume brings together rigorous and sophisticated research from eighteen of the leading authorities in the field.

The book examines the major issues in perinatal clinical psychology with the presence of theoretical information and operational indications, through a biopsychosocial approach. The multiplicity of scientific information reported makes this book both a comprehensive overview on the major perinatal mental health disorders and illnesses, and a clinical guide. It covers perinatal clinical psychology through a journey of 15 chapters, putting the arguments on a solid theoretical basis and reporting multiple operational indications of great utility for daily clinical practice. It has well documented new evidence bases in the field of clinical psychology that have underpinned the conspicuous current global and national developments in perinatal mental health. As such, it is an excellent resource for researchers, policy makers, and practitioners – in fact, anyone and everyone who wishes to understand and rediscover, in a single opera, the current scientific and application scenario related to psychological health during pregnancy and after childbirth.

Using real cases based in the South Pacific, Asia, South and Latin America and Europe, this volume sets out examples of community-based interventions that have succeeded by implementing outreach to the families and community to identify those in need, reliable and adequate drug supplies, treatment interventions, healthy psychosocial environments. This book will interest mental health professionals, international public health workers, global program administrators, and clinicians and healthcare workers.

"More women (47.6%) receive mental health services compared with men (34.8%). Women are twice as likely as men to develop major depressive disorder. Furthermore, 10%-15% of women experience depression during the perinatal period, which makes depression one of the most common complications of childbirth (Gaynes et al. 2005). These statistics illustrate that psychiatric disorders in women are common during the reproductive years and that the hormonal fluctuations associated with the reproductive life cycle contribute to the etiology of mental illness in women. Medical practitioners in all fields will encounter female patients with mental illness across the lifespan, particularly major depressive and anxiety disorders. Consequently, there is a great imperative for high-quality educational materials that increase the competency of providers. This outstanding work is divided into two parts. Part I provides a comprehensive overview of the reproductive life cycle and covers mental health concerns across the lifespan, including the relationship between gynecological and sexual health and mental health as well as infertility, the premenstrual period, and perimenopause. Part II is devoted to the perinatal period and offers a conceptual framework for a clinical approach to the pregnant and postpartum patient, followed by evidence-based reviews of the management of psychiatric disorders (by diagnostic category), as well as covering stress in pregnancy, infant mental health, and legal/forensic issues. Critical summaries of the epidemiology, risk factors, screening methods, and clinical features are presented. This book must be required reading for all faculty and trainees who will care for women"--

"Maternal filicide-the killing of a child by the mother-is not a new phenomenon. Evidence of mothers killing their infants dates back to at least 2000 B.C.E. and the ancient Chaldean civilization. The trial of Andrea Yates in 2001 for drowning her five children, however, captured the public attention in a way few similar cases had before. Initially met with public shock and outrage, the Yates case also spotlighted postpartum psychosis and maternal mental health forensics-the intersection of maternal mental illness and the criminal justice system. Coedited by George Parnham, the attorney who successfully defended Yates, this book includes his narrative account of how he first heard about and came to take on the case. It also features real case examples from more than 30 experts in the field representing eight countries. In addition, the book includes a chapter on paternal filicide, an important subject that receives far too little attention in the literature. Firmly rooted in research, thorough in its description of theory, and packed with practical applications, this volume highlights the necessary competency areas for those involved in maternal mental health forensics, whether psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, or lawyers"--

In "Unveiling Shadows: Nurturing Maternal Mental Health," embark on a transformative journey through the complexities of motherhood, exploring the profound impact of mental health on women during the transformative stage of becoming a mother. This book draws from personal narratives, scientific research, and expert insights. This poignant book unveils the shadows that often accompany the joyous journey of motherhood. From the moment of conception to the early years of parenting, it candidly explores the spectrum of emotions experienced by mothers and exposes the silent struggles they face. Through sensitive exploration, "Unveiling Shadows" challenges the societal expectations placed upon women, dismantles the stigma surrounding maternal mental health, and illuminates the path toward healing and self-discovery. It delves into the multifaceted nature of perinatal mental health conditions, such as postpartum depression and anxiety, while shedding light on lesser-known conditions that can emerge during vulnerable times. "Unveiling Shadows" serves as a clarion call to healthcare providers, policymakers, and society, emphasizing the urgent need for improved awareness, education, and support surrounding maternal mental health. It inspires a collective effort to foster a nurturing environment where every mother can thrive mentally, emotionally, and physically.

"In this book you’ll find a thoughtfully edited chronicle of the unique convergence of genetic, hormonal, social, and environmental forces that influence a woman’s mental health over the course of her life. Both comprehensive and nuanced, Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Across the Lifespan captures the science, clinical observation, and collective wisdom of experts in the field. Professionals and laypersons alike are well-advised to make room on their bookshelves for this one!" - Margaret Howard, Ph.D., Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University; Women & Infants Hospital, Providence RI "This outstanding collection of work is an important, timely, and much needed resource. Dr. Diana Lynn Barnes has been instrumental in bringing attention to the needs of perinatal women for decades. In Women's Reproductive Health Across the Lifespan, she brilliantly unites the medical world of reproductive life events with the psychiatric and psychological world of mental health issues associated with them. Her expertise, combined with contributions by distinguished leaders in the field, create a volume of work that should be studied carefully by every medical and mental health provider who works with women." - Karen Kleiman, MSW, The Postpartum Stress Center, Author of Therapy and the Postpartum Woman "Finally, a book that addresses the entire scope of women’s reproductive mental health spanning the gamut from puberty to menopause. The list of chapter contributors reads like a who’s who of international experts. Unique to this book is its focus on the interaction of genetics, hormonal fluctuations, and the social environment. It is a must addition for the libraries of clinicians and researchers in women’s reproductive mental health". - Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, School of Nursing, University of Connecticut Pregnancy and childbirth are generally viewed as joyous occasions. Yet for numerous women, these events instead bring anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. Increased interest in risk reduction and early clinical intervention is bringing reproductive issues to the forefront of women's mental health. The scope of Women's Reproductive Mental Health across the Lifespan begins long before the childbearing years, and continues well after those years have ended. Empirical findings, case examples, and dispatches from emerging areas of the field illuminate representative issues across the continuum of women's lives with the goal of more effective care benefitting women and their families. Chapter authors discuss advances in areas such as fertility treatment and contraception, and present current thinking on the psychological impact of pregnancy loss, menopause, cancer, and other stressors. These expert contributors emphasize the connections between an individual's biology and psychology and cultural expectations in shaping women's mental health, and the balance between a client's unique history and current clinical knowledge clinicians need to address disorders. Included in the coverage: The experience of puberty and emotional wellbeing. Body image issues and eating disorders in the childbearing years. Risk assessment and screening during pregnancy. Normal and pathological postpartum anxiety. Mood disorders and the transition to menopause. The evolution of reproductive psychiatry. A reference with an extended shelf life, Women's Reproductive Mental Health across the Lifespan enhances the work of researchers and practitioners in social work, clinical psychology, and psychiatry, and has potential relevance to all health care professionals.

Advanced Casebook of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders: Conceptualizations and Treatment presents a synthesis of the emerging data across clinical phenomenology, assessment, psychological therapies and biologically-oriented therapies regarding obsessive compulsive disorders, including hoarding, skin picking, body dysmorphic and impulse control disorders. Following the re-classification of such disorders in the DSM-5, the book addresses recent advances in treatment, assessment, treatment augmentation and basic science of OCRDs. The second half of the book focuses on the treatment of OCRDs, covering both psychological therapies (e.g. inhibitory learning informed exposure, tech-based CBT applications) and biologically oriented therapies (e.g. neuromodulation). - Includes psychosocial theoretical and intervention approaches - Addresses newly proposed clinical entities, such as misophonia and orthorexia - Examines neurobiological features of OCRDs across the lifespan