J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc.  2023 Feb;62(1):46-53. 10.4306/jknpa.2023.62.1.46.

Review of Psychiatric Mother-Baby Unit in Postpartum Period

• Choi J
• Park H

• KMID: 2539671
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4306/jknpa.2023.62.1.46

Abstract

With the development of the attachment theory and perinatal psychiatry, the joint admission of the mother and her baby in hospitals began in the 1950s, and this has developed into the establishment of specialized Mother-Baby Units (MBUs). MBUs were operated mainly in the United Kingdom and France. Subsequently, the concept gradually expanded to Belgium, Australia, and the United States, and recently, it is also spreading to Hungary, Sri Lanka, and India. The MBU is a specialized inpatient ward that operates 24 hours a day and comprises multidisciplinary personnel who can give specialized care to mothers with mental illnesses and their babies. Various psychosocial interventions, as well as pharmacotherapy, are used to achieve the MBU’s goal. These include a secure attachment bond between a mother and her baby and psychiatric care for the mother’s mental problems. According to most previous studies about MBU, the outcomes relating to clinical symptoms and the mother-baby interaction have been promising. Currently, there is no MBU in South Korea even though the obvious benefits have been identified. Further studies for the establishment of MBUs in our clinical environment are desperately and urgently needed.

Keyword

Mother-baby unit; Psychiatric unit; Mental health; Postpartum period