Mental illness and pregnancy

This work is part of a final year project carried out and defended at the Central University of Paramedical Sciences in Tunisia. It deals with the subject of pregnancy in mentally ill women.We found that 30% had no medical follow-up at all, 59% had irregular quality of follow-up, 34% had irregular compliance with medication, 40% of spouses were not sympathetic to their partners’ disorders, 47% had difficulty accessing psychiatric care, 27% felt stigmatized during gynecological/obstetrical follow-up, 64% had received no preparation for pregnancy and motherhood, 50% described their family environment as debilitating, and 32% described the absence of a mental health professional during pregnancy follow-up.These challenges associated with a mother-to-be’s mental disorder necessitate the presence of comprehensive support for the mother, addressing both mental health, medical and social support needs to promote healthy development of the child.