RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fear of pregnancy and childbirth
JF Postgraduate Medical Journal
JO Postgrad Med J
FD The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
SP 505
OP 510
DO 10.1136/pmj.79.935.505
VO 79
IS 935
A1 Hofberg, K
A1 Ward, M R
YR 2003
UL http://pmj.bmj.com/content/79/935/505.abstract
AB Pregnancy is a major life event for all women. However, when a psychiatric disorder is added to or exacerbated by the pregnancy then the problem requires expert knowledge from more than one area of medicine. This paper looks at pregnancy and the relationship with depression, eating disorders, and pathological fear of childbirth or tokophobia. It also examines the outcome for these women and their babies. Mental illness is a serious concern. It is now recognised that death from suicide is the leading cause of maternal death overall. Research in these areas is relatively sparse but an attempt is made to collate what is known.