Citation

Barker LC, Brown HK, Bronskill SE, Fung K, Kurdyak P, Zaheer J, Vigod SN. Psychiatry Res. 2024; 335: e115856.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115856

PMID

38484607

Abstract

In a population-based cohort of postpartum individuals in Ontario, Canada, this study aimed to determine the risk of non-fatal self-harm and suicide within one year of an initial postpartum psychiatric emergency department (ED) visit (2008-2020), and the key associated factors. Of 16,475 postpartum individuals with psychiatric ED visits, 714 (4.3 %) had non-fatal self-harm within one year, and 23 (0.15 %) died by suicide. Risk was substantially higher for those with self-harm at the initial presentation. Further efforts to connect individuals with postpartum psychiatric ED visits with needed inpatient care and outpatient follow-up are required to reduce non-fatal self-harm and suicide risk.

Language: en

Keywords

Postpartum period; Self-injurious behavior; Suicide