Mental disorders associated with childbearing: report of the Biennial Meeting of the Marcé Society.

This article presents highlights from an international conference focused on mental disorders in association with childbearing. Findings from related research on diagnosis, classification, epidemiology, child outcome, prevention, and treatment are summarized. A need is seen for more research on prevention of childbearing disorders, on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing maternal and child morbidity, on the development of new psychosocial interventions, and on the assessment of the efficacy and safety of somatic treatments in pregnant and lactating women. Mental disorders associated with childbearing are a significant public health problem. Antenatal and postpartum mental disorders are not only associated with morbidity and mortality in affected women, but also with increased morbidity in their children. Despite their prevalence, they are often not recognized by primary care providers, and are hence undertreated. Moreover, physicians are reluctant to treat women with medication during pregnancy and the postpartum for fear of adverse effects on the fetus and the breastfeeding newborn. Little information is available to inform clinicians about the relative risks and benefits of pharmacological treatments. Psychosocial interventions for mental disorders associated with childbearing have not been widely investigated, leaving few options for treatment. The Biennial Meeting of the Marcé Society was convened in Iowa City, Iowa, from June 24 to June 28, 1998. The meeting was jointly sponsored by the University of Iowa Department of Psychology, the Colleges of Medicine and Nursing, Postpartum Support International, and by the National Institute of Mental Health, Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research, and AIDS. The Marcé Society is a multi-disciplinary organization that aims to improve the understanding, prevention, and treatment of mental illnesses related to childbearing. International and U.S. participants met to present new research on the epidemiology, identification, and treatments for childbearing women with mental disorders. Highlights of the meeting are summarized below.