Journal article

Bipolar affective disorder in the postnatal period: investigating the role of sleep

JLC Bilszta, D Meyer, AE Buist

Bipolar Disorders | WILEY | Published : 2010

Abstract

Objectives: Psychotic disorders have a high rate of relapse in the postpartum period for reasons that are unclear, but may be related to changes in sleep patterns that occur during pregnancy and after birth. Understanding of the influence of sleep on postpartum psychosis presentation is limited. The aim of the current study was to investigate changes in sleep/wake activity during pregnancy and the postpartum period in women with a history of psychosis. Methods: Women with a history of bipolar disorder and/or postpartum psychosis (HxW) were recruited (n = 23) together with a control population (CtW) (n = 15). Data on demographic and psychosocial factors, mental health status, and sleep/wake a..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

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Funding Acknowledgements

This work was funded by a NARSAD Independent Investigator Award (2005-2007) to AEB. The authors thank all of the women who participated in this study and for taking the time and effort to complete the study requirements. The authors acknowledge the assistance of Hilda Badruddin and Ria Lestari, Faculty of Medicine, Universities Indonesia, in recruiting participants. The paper is dedicated to Participant 039 who, along with her family, was tragically killed in the 'Black Saturday' bushfires that swept through the state of Victoria, Australia, in the summer of 2009. These fires were Australia's worst ever natural disaster and resulted in 173 people being killed.