Perinatal psychopathology: characterisation of a selected italian women sample

Psychopathology during pregnancy and postpartum period is a clinical-medical affair, as well as a social
one.
For many woman, pregnancy and postpartum may constitute a trigger, moreover if a woman is, or have
been in her life, already affected by a manifest psychopathology or an asymptomatic one.
Primary-preventive approach should be considered in preconception planning with all women in
childbearing age who have or are at risk for psychopathology and psychiatric illness. For them, preventive
and healing standardized and evidence-based programs are needed, in particular with respect of
pharmacological treatment in a so critical period; even if is not proved that any specific psychotropic drug
is completely safe, due to the fact that all psychotropic medication cross the placenta barrier, there are
guidelines to follow. It's as well important to highlight that even if lots have to be studied, evidence
suggests that untreated depression, rather than treatment with antidepressant during pregnancy, results
in adverse outcomes.
Resources, resilence, copying abilities assessment, risk and protective factors evaluation, together with
pharmacological treatment costs-benefits balance, are the first steps for a personalized and effective
healing program.
from a study on a high risk and selected sample recruited from PsicheDonna Center-Milan-Italy
(Macedonio-Melloni, Fatebenefratelli Hospital) will be discussed.
This center is specialized in women's lifecycle mood disorders; the characterization of this peculiar
sample will be presented, with respect to: - diagnosis -risk and protective factors configuration -
assessment tools - pharmacological treatment planning - clinical healing activities adopted - intervention
and preventive model developed.