Psychiatric support for mothers in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Objective:this study describes mental health treatment and follow-up for mothers of infants in a neonatal intensive care unit (nicu).study design:data were collected retrospectively about 204 mothers referred to a level 3 nicu psychiatric consult liaison team over 2 years. this included medical, demographic and treatment information about both mother and infant.result:most mothers (69%) were referred within a week of birth, and 100 (49%) of the referred mothers received a psychiatric diagnosis. psychiatric follow-up was recommended for 13% on leaving the nicu and additional follow-up referrals were made for another 16%. mothers with more than one initial reason for referral, a past psychiatric history, receiving therapeutic services, receiving a psychiatric diagnosis and receiving pharmacotherapy were all significantly more likely to have follow-up recommended on discharge.conclusion:approximately one-sixth of mothers in the nicu were referred, a large proportion received a psychiatric diagnosis, and over a quarter required follow-up after discharge, indicating the importance of the service.