Are we overlooking obsessive-compulsive disorder during and after pregnancy? Some arguments for a peripartum onset specifier.

The peripartum period appears to be a potent trigger of obsessive-compulsive disorder in women; however, due to the lack of awareness and routine screening, women with obsessive-compulsive disorder may be at risk of under- or misdiagnosis. Unfortunately, the missed diagnosis or misdiagnosis can have serious consequences including symptom persistence, compromised ability to care for the newborn, poor quality of life and unnecessary reporting of the mother to child protective services. It is argued that future iterations of the DSM consider expanding the scope of the peripartum onset specifier to include obsessive-compulsive disorder to increase its detection, diagnosis and management.