Predicting Postpartum Suicide Risk

Although it's rare for mothers to attempt suicide following the birth of their child, when it happens it can have a long-lasting effect on the family and the child. In a study published in the August 2008 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, researchers attempted to ferret out the risk factors for postpartum suicide.

Studying hospitalization and birth records from Washington state from 1992 to 2001, they found that certain factors were associated with the risk of postpartum suicide attempts. Women who had been previously hospitalized for psychiatric disorders were at the greatest risk, being 27 times more likely to attempt suicide than women without any history of psychiatric hospitalization. Women with a history of substance abuse were 6 times as likely to attempt suicide, while a history of both psychiatric hospitalization and substances abuse increased the risk by 11 times.

According to study author Katherine A Comtois, PhD, "screening for past history of psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses as a part of routine prenatal care may be a means of identifying women at high risk of postpartum suicide attempt, although a recent review of prenatal screening for depression cited insufficient evidence to recommend screening as a way to improve outcomes."

The authors further add that future studies should look at whether screening for these risk factors will prevent postpartum suicide attempts.