Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Women's Health
Published in: BMC Women's Health 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

The increased trend in mothers’ hospital admissions for psychiatric disorders in the first year after birth between 2001 and 2010 in New South Wales, Australia

Authors: Fenglian Xu, Elizabeth A Sullivan, Zhuoyang Li, Lucy Burns, Marie-Paule Austin, Tim Slade

Published in: BMC Women's Health | Issue 1/2014

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

The burden of mental and behavioural disorders in Australia has increased significantly over the last decade. The aim of the current study is to describe the hospital admission rates for mental illness over a 10-year period for primiparous mothers in the first year after birth.

Methods

This is an Australian population-based descriptive study with linked data from the New South Wales Midwives Data Collection and Admitted Patients Data Collection. The study population included primiparous mothers who gave birth between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2010. All hospital admissions with a mental health diagnosis in the first year after birth were recorded.

Results

There were 6,140 mothers (1.67%) admitted to hospital with a principal diagnosis of mental health in the first year after birth between 2001 and 2010 in New South Wales (7,884 admissions, 2.15%). The hospital admission rates increased significantly over time, particularly from 2005. The increase in hospital admissions was mainly attributed to the diagnoses of unipolar depression, adjustment disorders and anxiety disorders.

Conclusions

This study shows that hospital admissions for mothers with a mental health diagnosis after birth in New South Wales has significantly increased in the last decade. Possible reasons for this change need to be studied further.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Mental Health Services—in brief 2013. Cat. No. HSE 141. 2013, Canberra: AIHW
3.
O’Hara MW, Swain AM: Rates and risk of postpartum depression – a meta-analysis. Int Rev Psychiatry. 1996, 8 (1): 37-54. 10.3109/09540269609037816.CrossRef
4.
Kendell RE, Chalmers JC, Platz C: Epidemiology of puerperal psychoses. Br J Psychiatry. 1987, 150: 662-673. 10.1192/bjp.150.5.662.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Munk-Olsen T, Laursen TM, Pedersen CB, Mors O, Mortensen PB: New parents and mental disorders: a population-based register study. JAMA. 2006, 296 (21): 2582-2589. 10.1001/jama.296.21.2582.CrossRefPubMed
6.
World Health Organization: Mental Health Aspects of Women’s Reproductive Health: a Global Review of the Literature. 2009, Geneva: WHO
7.
Petrou S, Cooper P, Murray L, Davidson LL: Economic costs of post-natal depression in a high-risk British cohort. Br J Psychiatry. 2002, 181: 505-512. 10.1192/bjp.181.6.505.CrossRefPubMed
8.
Gavin N, Gaynes B, Lohr K, Meltzer-Brody S, Gartlehner G, Swinson T: Perinatal depression: a systematic review of prevalence and incidence. Obstet Gynecol. 2005, 106: 1071-1083. 10.1097/01.AOG.0000183597.31630.db.CrossRefPubMed
9.
National Centre for Classification in Health: 10th revision, Australian modification (ICD-10-AM). The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. 1999, Sydney: National Centre for Classification in Health
10.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Australian Hospital Statistics 2008–09. Health Services Series No. 17. Cat. no. HSE 84. 2010, Canberra: AIHW
11.
Xu F, Hilder L, Austin MP, Sullivan EA: Data preparation techniques for a perinatal psychiatric study based on linked data. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2012, 12 (1): 71-10.1186/1471-2288-12-71.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
13.
14.
Buist AE, Austin MP, Hayes BA, Speelman C, Bilszta JL, Gemmill AW, Brooks J, Ellwood D, Milgrom J: Postnatal mental health of women giving birth in Australia 2002–2004: findings from the beyondblue National Postnatal Depression Program. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2008, 42 (1): 66-73. 10.1080/00048670701732749.CrossRefPubMed
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Yelland JS, Sutherland GA, Wiebe JL, Brown SJ: A national approach to perinatal mental health in Australia: exercising caution in the roll-out of a public health initiative. Med J Aust. 2009, 191 (5): 276-279.PubMed
20.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Mental Health Services in Australia 2001–02 (Mental Health Series no. 5). 2004, Canberra: AIHW
21.
Department of Health and Ageing: National Mental Health Report 2010: Summary of 15 Years of Reform in Australia’s Mental Health Services under the National Mental Health Strategy 1993–2008. 2010, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia
22.
Centre for Epidemiology and Research: New South Wales mothers and babies 2001. N S W Public Health Bull. 2002, 13 (s-4): 1-124.
23.
Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence: New South Wales Mothers and Babies 2010. 2012, Sydney: NSW Ministry of Health
24.
Xu F, Austin M-P, Reilly N, Hilder L, Sullivan EA: Factors Associated with Hospitalisation for Mental Health Illness During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period: Does Maternal Age Make a Difference?. 2010, Bali, Indonesia: Oral presentation to the 42nd APACPH conference 24–27 November 2010
25.
Xu F, Austin M-P, Reilly N, Hilder L, Sullivan EA: Length of stay for mental and behavioural disorders postpartum in primiparous mothers: a cohort study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2014, 11 (4): 3540-3552. 10.3390/ijerph110403540.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
26.
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW): Australian Hospital Statistics 2000–01. Health Services Series No. 19. 2002, Canberra: AIHW
Metadata
Title
The increased trend in mothers’ hospital admissions for psychiatric disorders in the first year after birth between 2001 and 2010 in New South Wales, Australia
Authors
Fenglian Xu
Elizabeth A Sullivan
Zhuoyang Li
Lucy Burns
Marie-Paule Austin
Tim Slade
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Women's Health / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1472-6874
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-14-119

Other articles of this Issue 1/2014

BMC Women's Health 1/2014 Go to the issue

Research article

Women’s values in contraceptive choice: a systematic review of relevant attributes included in decision aids

Research article

Perceptions of postnatal depression and health care needs in a South African sample: the “mental” in maternal health care

Research article

Impact of endometriosis on women’s lives: a qualitative study

Research article

Awareness and correlates of the role of physical activity in breast cancer prevention among Japanese women: results from an internet-based cross-sectional survey

Research article

Women’s perspectives of female genital cutting: Q-methodology

Research article

Perceived stress and emotional social support among women who are denied or receive abortions in the United States: a prospective cohort study