Psychiatrist Warns 15-Minute Visits Miss Postpartum Psychosis in Mothers Seeking Help
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Aug 11
Psychiatrist Warns 15-Minute Visits Miss Postpartum Psychosis in Mothers Seeking Help
1 articles · Updated · Forbes · Aug 11
Summary
15-minute psychiatric assessments can miss postpartum psychosis even when mothers actively seek help, Dr. Patricia De Marco Centeno said as Lindsay Clancy’s 2023 infanticide trial sharpens scrutiny of maternal mental-health care.
Most patients never see a psychiatrist at all, she said, leaving obstetricians, pediatricians and ER staff in a “hidden mental health system” where risk-clearance for involuntary commitment can be mistaken for an actual diagnosis.
Repeated visits, longitudinal history and family collateral are critical because subtle signs—such as decreased need for sleep, guarded affect or past delusions—often surface only over time; many postpartum psychosis cases reflect underlying bipolar I disorder.
Immediate hospitalization is the right response for all postpartum psychosis cases, Centeno said, warning antidepressants are often the wrong first move and urging rapid use of mood stabilizers or antipsychotics, including long-acting injectables when insight briefly appears.
A 2012 framework still fits the problem, she said: stigma blocks disclosure, non-psychiatric clinicians get little reproductive-psychiatry training, and fragmented insurance, underfunded research and restrictive HIPAA interpretations slow coordinated care.