Postnatal depression and psychosis--a mother and baby unit in a general hospital

The experience of a Mother and Baby Unit in a General Hospital Psychiatry Department in managing postnatal depression and puerperal psychosis over a 2-year period is reviewed. In our community severe depressive illness will more often be referred to a Public General Hospital with a psychiatric service. The mean admission duration of 26 days for depressive illness was significantly lower than that previously reported by a Psychiatric Hospital. A significant delay in presentation appeared in half the cases, which could be reduced by attention to the family and past psychiatric history, especially the patient's relationship to her own mother indicating risk of puerperal mental disturbance.