Psychosomatic Medicine 34:129-138 (1972)
© 1972 American Psychosomatic Society

Early and Late Postpartum Illnesses

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich, and The Hacker Clinic Lynwood, Calif.

Address for reprint requests: George C. Rosenwald, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan. 529 Thompson, Ann Arbor, Mich 48104.

It is hypothesized that relatively early and late postpartum breakdowns occur in women whose personality patterns render them selectively vulnerable to the respective mothering tasks. Specifically, the birth event and the demands which the neonate makes are particularly difficult for mothers with schizoid traits; the later tasks of nurturance and control are especially taxing for narcissistic women. A manual for scoring eight hypothesized traits was applied to case histories of an early and a late group of hospitalized patients. The anamneses of early patients yielded a significantly greater incidence of withdrawal (P<0.005) and thoughtdisturbance (P<0.005), while those of late patients contained more evidence of dependency (P<0.01), rejection of nurturance (P<0.025), egocentrism (P<0.005), interpersonal manipulativeness (P<0.01), and depression (P<0.05). The prediction of greater preoccupation with bodily sensations and processes in early women failed. Delusions occur in both groups, but with different content. Postpartum psychosis is a psychologically heterogeneous category held together by a concept of biologic adaptation.