Post-abortion and post-partum psychiatric hospitalization.

Confusion persists regarding relative psychological risks associated with term deliveries and induced abortions. One reason for the scarcity of comparative findings is the lack of epidemiological data on post-abortion and post-partum admissions to psychiatric hospital. While such admissions are not separately tracked in United States health statistics, they are measurable events, reflective of severe psychological stress associated in time with delivery and abortion, and probably less subject to diverse interpretation than are individual consultations with clinical practitioners in their offices. The paper reviews what is known from published international research about post-abortion and post-partum admissions to psychiatric hospitals and discusses comparative findings obtained from computer linkages of Danish national registers. Admissions to psychiatric hospital were tracked for a three-month period after either delivery or abortion for all women under age 50 and then compared with the three-month admission rate to psychiatric hospitals for all Danish women of similar age. The major finding is that for never-married and currently married women, the post-pregnancy-related risk of admission is about the same-around 12 per 10 000 abortions or deliveries. Higher psychiatric admission rates were noted for separated, divorced and widowed women having abortions or carrying to term.