Perinatal Psychiatry (PSYT90068)

The perinatal period, encompassing pregnancy and the post-natal period, is one of enormous psychological, physiological and relational change. The healthy psychological adjustment of parents during this life transition is important for the later development of secure attachment relationships. There is a general misunderstanding that pregnancy is protective, when in fact most mental illnesses have an onset during the childbearing years. The first couple of seminars will cover the psychological processes of childbearing including “normal” pregnancies and the extra challenges that couples may encounter (medically high-risk pregnancies, foetal malformation, termination of pregnancy, miscarriage, neonatal loss, prolonged infertility and the use of assisted reproduction technology). There will be a seminar, introducing students to attachment theory, which forms the theoretic underpinnings for parent-infant mental health research and clinical interventions. The final couple of seminars will address the clinical assessment and management of psychiatric disorders, both existing and new-onset, in the perinatal period using a biopsychosocial model.