Obstetric complications and affective psychoses. Two case-control studies based on structured obstetric records

Unlike schizophrenia, little interest has been taken in the incidence of obstetric complications in affective psychoses.

To find out whether obstetric complications are more common in affective psychoses than matched controls.

Two hundred and seventeen probands with an in-patient diagnosis of affective psychosis who had been born in Scotland in 1971-74, and a further 84 born in 1975-78, were closely matched with controls and the incidence of obstetric complications in the two compared using obstetric data recorded in a set format shortly after birth.

Abnormal presentation of the foetus was the only complication significantly more common in the affective probands in the 1971-74 birth cohort and artificial rupture of the membranes was the only event more common in the probands in the 1975-78 cohort. Both are probably chance findings.

It is unlikely that the incidence of obstetric complications is raised in people with affective psychoses of early onset.