2007/011 NICE issues guidance to help detect and treat women with antenatal and postnatal mental health disorders

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has today issued guidance on the care and treatment of women with mental health disorders during pregnancy (antenatal) and in the first year after giving birth (postnatal). It is estimated that as many as 1 in seven women experience a mental health disorder in the antenatal or postnatal period. The guideline is the first of its kind to make specific recommendations on the identification, treatment and management of all mental health disorders including anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and obsessive compulsive disorder.