Maternal Infanticide Associated With Mental Illness: Prevention and the Promise of Saved Lives
American Journal of PsychiatryPublished 30 August 2004
Margaret G. Spinelli
Citations304
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score5.27
SNIP3.68
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Abstract
The absence of formal DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for postpartum psychiatric disorders promotes disparate treatment under the law. The psychiatric community should develop guidelines for the treatment of postpartum disorders, foster sharing of knowledge between psychiatry and the law, and do more to enlighten society about the effects of mental illness on thought and behavior so that decisions about the treatment and punishment of mentally ill persons will not be left exclusively in the hands of the judicial system.
Keywords
PsychologySocial SciencesMedicine
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