A review of two-year data from a perinatal psychiatry outpatient clinic

AIM: It was aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical data of patients admitted to the only perinatal psychiatry outpatient clinic in Turkey. METHODS: Between 01.01.2021 and 31.03.2023, 314 women were admitted to SEAH perinatal psychiatry outpatient clinic and it was planned to contact them by telephone. Face-to-face and telephone interviews were conducted with 130 women who volunteered to participate in the study. The SCID-1 interview adapted to DSM-5 was conducted to assess comorbid psychiatric disorders. A comprehensive sociodemographic data form was applied to obtain information about sociodemographic data and clinical characteristics. Clinical data were entered into the sociodemographic and clinical data form. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS 25 program. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants, was 32,31. 42,3% presented during pregnancy, 42.3% during the postpartum period, and 15,4% during pregnancy preparation. The most common presentation was in the first trimester with 25,4%. 30,8% had a history of chronic medical illness and 26,2% had a history of psychological trauma. The most common diagnosis during pregnancy was depression with 34,1%, and the most common postpartum diagnosis was depression with 53,6%. 19,5% had complications during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: The majority of the patients in the perinatal period were women with high school education and above, living in urban areas. The most common diagnosis is depression and the proportion of women experiencing challenging life events such as comorbid medical illness, history of trauma, and pregnancy complications seems to be high. The findings of this study underline the importance of outpatient clinics specialized in the perinatal period, as well as the need for multidisciplinary work and promotion of planned pregnancies