Overview

Specialised perinatal mental health services are crucial in providing the best care for women and their families. An essential guide to perinatal psychiatry, this comprehensive resource is a must-have for psychiatric trainees, consultants, and mental health teams. Written by experts in the specialty, this book fills a critical gap in the field by addressing the specific needs of women during pregnancy and the postnatal period, their infants and families. Covering topics from normal development to rare syndromes, theoretical perspectives to cutting-edge treatments, it offers a thorough overview of perinatal psychiatry, ensuring that clinicians are well-prepared to provide comprehensive care to women and families in need. Part of The College Seminars series, and directly mapped to the MRCPsych curriculum, this book is a key resource for psychiatric trainees.

Full Product Details

Author:   Liz McDonald (East London NHS Foundation Trust) ,  Roch Cantwell (Perinatal Mental Health Service and West of Scotland Mother & Baby Unit) ,  Ian Jones (Cardiff University)
Publisher:   RCPsych/Cambridge University Press
Imprint:   RCPsych/Cambridge University Press
Weight:   1.086kg
ISBN:  

9781911623502

ISBN 10:   1911623508
Pages:   730
Publication Date:   09 April 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Foreword; Section 1. The Perinatal Context: 1. The perinatal frame of mind; 2. Experiencing severe perinatal mental illness – the woman's perspective; 3. Physiological changes in pregnancy and common obstetric medical disorders; 4. Fetal development and routine maternity care; 5. Infant development: birth to twelve months; 6. Paternal mental health in the perinatal period: impact on family relationships; 7. The Perinatal mental health of racial and ethnic minority groups; 8. Psychological aspects of infertility, assisted conception and perinatal loss; 9. The evolving leader in perinatal mental health services; Section 2. Maternal Mental Disorders: 10. Depression; 11. Anxiety disorders in pregnancy and in the post-partum period; 12. Postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder; 13. Schizophrenia spectrum disorders; 14. Personality disorder; 15. Complex post-traumatic stress disorder; 16. Eating disorders in the perinatal period; 17. Medically unexplained symptoms in the perinatal period; 18. Alcohol and substance use disorders; 19. Intellectual disability; 20. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; 21. Autism; 22. Maternal suicide, deliberate self-harm and other mental health related causes of maternal death; Section 3. Principles of Perinatal Assessment and Management: 23. Access, assessment and evaluation of risk in perinatal mental health services; 24. Pre-pregnancy advice and planning; 25. Pre-birth planning; 26. Principles of prescribing; 27. The reproductive safety of psychotropic medication and implications for prescribing in the perinatal period; 28. Psychological therapies for parental mental health in the perinatal period: what works?; 29. Effective working across health, peer support and third sector interfaces; 30. Perinatal mental health service development and delivery; 31. Perinatal mental health services in Asia, Africa and South America; Section 4. Infant Mental Health in the Context of Maternal Mental Health: 32. Infant mental health: the role of perinatal mental health services; 33. Maternal mood and stress during pregnancy: effects on the fetus and child; 34. Holding the baby in mind: how does infant observation contribute to perinatal practice?; 35. Mother-infant focused interventions: what works to improve the mother-infant relationship?; Section 5. Medico-Legal Issues in the Perinatal Period: 36. Child safeguarding; 37. Violence against women; 38. When mothers kill their children; 39. Mental health and capacity legislation in the perinatal period; 40. The preparation of psychiatric reports for court; Index.

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Author Information

Liz McDonald MB BCh BAO MPhil FRCPsych DU, retired consultant perinatal psychiatrist, played a key role developing and delivering services in east London, England. Formerly Chair of the Perinatal Faculty Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Pan-London Perinatal Mental Health Clinical Network, she was also executive committee member of the Independent Advisory Group for MBRRACE and the Association for Infant Mental Health UK. Liz has been instrumental to developing specialist Perinatal Mental Health Services. Roch Cantwell MB BCh BAO FRCPysch, retired consultant perinatal psychiatrist, is currently professional advisor in Perinatal Mental Health to the Scottish Government. He led the first MBU and community perinatal mental health service in Scotland and was founding lead clinician for Scotland's National Perinatal Managed Clinical Network. For 10 years, he was lead psychiatric assessor to the UK & Ireland Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths. Roch was instrumental in establishing specialist services across Scotland. Ian Jones BSc MB BS MSc Ph.D FRCPsych is Professor of Psychiatry at the Division of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences at Cardiff University. As clinical lead for the Cardiff University Psychiatry Service, he leads a clinical service offering pre-conception counselling to women with severe mental illness. Credited on over 350 publications, his research focuses on bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis. Ian's contributions to the field have been recognised with prestigious awards, including the Marcé Medal, and Academic Psychiatrist of the Year at the RCPsych Awards.

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