A perinatal mental health team is reviewing psychosocial risk factors for postnatal depression (PND). They wish to identify factors that increase vulnerability in the postpartum period.
Which of the following has NOT been shown to increase the risk of postnatal depression?
A. Marital conflict
B. Young maternal age
C. Older age of the mother
D. Previous pregnancy loss
E. Substance misuse
✅ Correct option: C. Older age of the mother
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Why C is correct
• Advanced maternal age alone is not an independent risk factor for PND
• Older mothers may have:
Greater stability
More resources
Better coping capacity
Risk is driven more by psychosocial and psychiatric factors than age per se
⭐ High-yield facts to memorise
• Prevalence of postnatal depression: ~10–15%
• Peak onset: within first 3 months postpartum
• Previous depression → highest recurrence risk
• Poor partner support is a major predictor
• Baby blues occur in up to 70–80% but resolve within ~2 weeks
• Postpartum psychosis is rare but severe (≈1–2 per 1000 births)
A woman develops confusion, mood lability, and psychosis 3 days after delivery. What is the diagnosis?
A. Baby blues
B. Postnatal depression
C. Postpartum psychosis
D. Delirium
E. Bipolar disorder
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✅ Correct answer
Postpartum psychosis
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3️⃣ Full explanation
👉 Key features:
• Onset within 2 weeks postpartum
• Rapid onset
• Severe symptoms:
→ confusion
→ mood instability
→ delusions / hallucinations
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Important associations
• Strongly linked to bipolar disorder
• High risk of:
→ suicide
→ infanticide
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🔥 High-yield facts
• Psychiatric emergency 🚨
• Requires urgent admission (often mother-baby unit)
• Treat like acute mania/psychosis
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⚠️ Exam traps
❌ Baby blues → mild, resolves in days
❌ Postnatal depression → later, no psychosis
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🧠 One-liner
Acute psychosis within 2 weeks postpartum = postpartum psychosis (emergency)
Postnatal contamination fears + repetitive washing
✅ Answer: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
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🧠 Explanation:
• Obsession: contamination
• Compulsion: washing
Classic OCD loop:
👉 anxiety → compulsion → temporary relief
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💎 High-yield:
• Postpartum OCD = common
• Insight often preserved
