NAVIGATING PSYCHOSIS IN MOTHER-BABY UNITS: BALANCING CARE AND CHALLENGES

Abstract

Background: Catherine's House is a 10-bed mother- baby unit (MBU) in Brisbane. Consumers with psychotic experiences in the post-partum period can present with complexities that can be challenging to manage in the MBU setting (Costa et al., 2022). Objectives. To provide an overview of the advantages and challenges in managing mothers with psychotic experiences during the post-partum period in a MBU setting, using a case series of 15 consumers admitted between May 2023 and October 2024. Methods. Descriptive statistics, and clinical outcomes of consumers will be presented and experiences in treating these consumers will be discussed. Findings. Around 10% of consumers (15/167) experienced psychosis. Of these, around 30% (5/15) had a diagnosis of post-partum psychosis. Two of the consumers were transferred back to acute mental health facilities and their babies were placed with their families. However, most consumers made significant improvements across their symptoms, functioning, and ability to care for their baby by the end of treatment. Discussion will include a comparison of the treatment of consumers with pre-existing mental disorders to those who developed psychosis in the postpartum period, including response to treatment. In contrast to what is reported in the literature (Bergink et al., 2016), no patient with post-partum psychosis in our group was started on lithium, and one patient was transferred for electroconvulsive therapy. Conclusions. While most consumers with psychotic disorders in the post-partum period benefitted from a MBU admission, two consumers were not suitable. Treatment approaches for these consumers appear to vary between different institutions.