Delusions related to infant and their association with mother–infant interactions in postpartum psychotic disorders

The relationship between mother infant interactions and psychopathology in postpartum psychotic disorders has been recognised as being clinically important, however data in the field is sparse. The current study had two aims – firstly, to study the prevalence and nature of delusions towards the infant among mothers with postpartum onset severe mental illness and secondly, to study the association between delusional symptoms towards the infant and mother infant interactions. 108 consecutive women with onset of severe mental illness in the postpartum, who were admitted to an inpatient psychiatric unit in South India over a two-year period, were systematically assessed for presence of delusions related to the infant, using the Kannada version of the Birmingham Interview for Maternal Mental Health.