The book offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of key issues in perinatal mental health. Classic topics such as screening, assessment, pharmacological, psychological and psychosocial interventions of the most common conditions (depression, anxiety disorders, etc.) are combined with lesser known issues, such as mother-infant relationship disorders or thoughts of infant-related harm and aggressive behaviors, sleep disturbances in puerperium, obsessional disorders, fetal death etc., paying particular attention to specific groups of perinatal patients like mothers with cancer, adolescents, fathers, migrants, and preterm babies.
The chapters written by health professionals working in hospitals, community services or voluntary agencies alternate with contributions from researchers whose fields of expertise include biology and neuroscience, diagnosis and special needs, treatment and prognosis, etc., striking a balance between scientific investigation and clinical practice.
The book offers a valuable tool for a wide range of professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, gynecologists, midwives, oncologists, pediatricians, and social workers, who want to improve their clinical practice and the effectiveness of their treatment pathways using evidence from perinatal health research.
Mauro Percudani is currently the Director of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy and President of the Italian Psychiatric Association – Lombardy Section. He is also a member of the executive board of the Italian Association of Social Psychiatry and is coordinating various projects on psychiatry epidemiology, early intervention in psychiatry, perinatal psychiatry and social psychiatry.
Alessandra Bramante is a Psychologist, Cognitive Psychotherapist, Clinical Criminologist at Policentro Donna Ambulatory in Milano, Italy. Holding a PhD in Neuroscience, she is the President of the Marcé Society Italian Regional Group and the Scientific Coordinator of the Master of Advanced Training in Psychopathology and Perinatal Psychiatry.
Valeria Brenna is a Psychologist at the Mental Health Department and Addiction Services, Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy. Holding a qualification in briefpsychotherapy and having completed advanced training in psychology, psychopathology and perinatal psychiatry, she currently serves on the executive board of the Marcé Society Italian Regional Group.
Carmine Pariante is a Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. His work focuses on depression and fatigue, with a particular interest in the perinatal period and in subjects with medical disorders. He has published more than 400 papers, and is also the appointed Editor in Chief on the journal Brain Behaviour and Immunity, and a 2018/2019/2020 Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher. He has received numerous awards for his research, most recently the 2012 “Academic Psychiatrist of the Year” Award from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the 2015 Anna-Monika Prize forResearch on Depression, the 2016 PNIRS Normal Cousins Award for Research in Psychoneuroimmunology, the 2017 Andrea Leadsom Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Infant Mental Health, and the 2017 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award.
