Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health: The NICE Guideline on Clinical Management and Service Guidance

This guideline, commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), covers the care and treatment of women with mental health problems during pregnancy and the first postnatal year. This includes depression, anxiety disorders, and severe mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.The impact of mental disorders on women, their infants and other members of their family can be greater during pregnancy and the postnatal period than at any other time. It is therefore of great importance that any problem is recognised and managed quickly and safely. The guideline sets out clear recommendations, based on the best available evidence, for healthcare staff on how to work with pregnant and breastfeeding women to significantly improve their treatment and care. This publication brings together all of the evidence that led to the recommendations in the guideline. It provides an overview of how mental health problems manifest during pregnancy and post-natally and covers prediction and detection, prevention, and psychological and pharmacological interventions for specific disorders, including balancing the risks and benefits of drug treatment during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. The guideline also encompasses the organisation of perinatal mental health services, making it the first of its kind to fully integrate the clinical and service aspects of care into a single volume. The book is illustrated by womens experiences of mental health problems, treatment and services.