Mother and baby unit: psychiatric survey of 115 cases.

This paper describes a mother and baby unit in a psychiatric hospital and presents statistical information about 115 mothers admitted with their babies, their mental illness having arisen during pregnancy or the puerperium. Certain comparisons are made with statistics published about patients admitted to other hospitals because of puerperal mental illness, some with and some without their babies. These comparisons suggest the need for an inquiry which might allow accurate assessment of the value of combined mother-baby admission in such illnesses. Review of Literature The studies by Spitz (1945) and Bowiby (1951) of the possible effects of parental deprivation on mental health, and the films, " A Two Year Old Goes to Hospital " (Bowlby et al., 1952; Robertson, 1952a, 1952b) and " Going to Hospital with Mother" (Robertson, 1958a, 1958b), aroused wide interest in the results of separation of mother and child. Effect has been given to the views of these authors by a Ministry of Health (1959) report recommending the provision by hospitals of visiting and accommodation facilities which would lessen the incidence of separation and its alleged results. Riley et al. (1965) described facilities provided in a general hospital which are the logical development of this practice. Little has been written about the desirability of infants or children accompanying their mothers when the latter are admitted to psychiatric hospitals. Douglas (1956) admitted six psychotic mothers with their babies to the neurosis ward at the West Middlesex Hospital and concluded that the practice should be extended. Main (1958) at the Cassel Hospital first admitted a mother with her child in 1948 and started to admit puerperal cases with their children in 1955, but did not admit those with severely disturbed psychotic states. He referred to "the twin dangers of separating mother and child, first, and more obvious, to the child, and second, but as fateful, to the mother's confidence in her future capacity as a mother." Baker et al. (1961) reported a series of 20 puerperal schizophrenic mothers admitted with their babies to Banstead Hospital. He believed that to deprive such a mother of her child lessens her chances of recovery. Glaser (1962) described the early stages of the development of the unit referred to in the present study. Grunebaum and Weiss (1962-3) reported a series of 12 psychotic mothers admitted with their babies to the adult wards of the Massachusetts Mental Health Centre. They referred to the …