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Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in the treatment of postpartum psychosis

Amanda Focht1, Charles H Kellner

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA. amanda.focht@mountsinai.org

The Journal of ECT
|February 15, 2012
PubMed

Postpartum psychosis is one of the most severe manifestations of postpartum mental illness. A psychiatric emergency, the prompt recognition and treatment of postpartum psychosis is essential in insuring maternal and infant well-being and safety. Here, we review the literature on the phenomenology of postpartum psychosis and the prevalence of use, safety, and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy as a treatment. Studies were searched using CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PubMed databases. Based on our review, we argue that for some patients, electroconvulsive therapy should be the treatment of choice.

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