Sociodemographic Features and Treatments of Pregnant Psychiatric Inpatients in an University Hospital: A Retrospective Chart Review

Abstract

Objective: In this study, the sociodemographic characteristics of and treatment methods applied to pregnant inpatients were investigated. Method: Fourty three inpatients, have been included to the study. The sociodemographic data, diagnoses and applied treatments as well as the individual treatment response information were extracted, sorted out and analysed. Results: Diagnosis for nearly half of the women was psychotic disorder (44.2%;19/43). Patients with the diagnosis of a psychotic disorder had been hospitalized longer than the patients with a diagnosis of anxiety and somatoform disorder were. Thirty four of 43 patients (79%) have had psychiatric disorders before pregnancy. Haloperidol was the most frequently used psychotropic drug for the treatment of psychotic disorders and bipolar manic episodes. In 26% of patients, delivery was carried out through cesarean section during hospitalization. Conclusions: In conclusion, it was found that a significant portion of pregnant inpatients have been suffering from a psychiatric disorder before conception. The remarkable ratio of deliveries, which happened during the hospitalization in psychiatry clinics and lack of medically complicated babies, show that the psychiatry services, beyond treatment of psychiatric illnesses, could serve as a secure place for expected mothers and babies prenatally.