Citation

Vetter P. Gynakologische Praxis 2007; 31(3): 513-522.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

One common and often overlooked psychic illness in pregnancy is depression. This condition affects both mother and child. In the child it can impair foetal growth and development of the central nervous system, influence the time and onset of delivery or trigger a miscarriage. The expecting mother has an increased risk of preeclampsia, drug abuse, suicide and postpartum depression. The latter further impairs the emotional exchange between mother and child and can have a detrimental effect on the child's subsequent development and stress reactions. Anti-depressive therapy, for example with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and/or psychotherapy/counselling is therefore necessary. Along with depression there are other factors giving rise to stress like conflicts with or mental or physical violence from persons in the surroundings, which can have negative consequences for the pregnancy and the unborn child or infant. This can also lead to changes in the regulation of the foetal hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis or a reduction of synapse formation. The development of a relationship of the mother to the foetus already leads during pregnancy to prepartal patterns of affinity, which become more subtly differentiated after delivery. An appropriate and sensitive response to the needs of her infant, or rejection or inconsistent or changeable behaviour of the mother has an impact on the affective behaviour and hence on the later social conduct of the child.

Language: de

Keywords

human; social interaction; violence; Stress; Depression; suicide; psychotherapy; depression; central nervous system; risk assessment; drug abuse; child behavior; Miscarriage; article; serotonin uptake inhibitor; child parent relation; puerperal depression; patient counseling; hypothalamus hypophysis adrenal system; pregnancy complication; preeclampsia; spontaneous abortion; pregnancy disorder; synapse; Fetal development; fetus growth; Negative consequences; Psychic illness; Social conduct; maternal attitude; postnatal development; prenatal development