Completed suicide during pregnancy and postpartum

Abstract

Both pregnancy and the postpartum are typical periods for the onset or relapse of psychiatric symptoms and disorders, with depression and anxiety being the most common. The prevalence of suicide spectrum behaviour is significantly higher among women with a diagnosis of depressive or bipolar disorder. Suicide during pregnancy and postpartum is a multifactorial phenomenon and a history of psychiatric illness is only one of the possible risk factors involved in suicide spectrum behaviour. The present paper highlights the importance of a complete screening for both depression and suicide risk during peripartum.