KPSC Staff Nurse - 2018
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
Easy
Most frequent neurotic disorder in puerperium?
Appeared in: KPSC Staff Nurse - 2018
Explanation
- Postpartum blues is the correct answer as it is the most common mood disturbance following childbirth, affecting a large majority of new mothers (up to 80%).
- It is characterized by its transient nature, with symptoms like mood swings and tearfulness appearing a few days after delivery and resolving spontaneously within two weeks.
- Unlike more severe disorders, it does not typically impair the mother's ability to function or care for her infant and is considered a normal adjustment reaction.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Postpartum depression is less frequent than postpartum blues, with a prevalence of about 10-15%.
- Option C: Postpartum psychosis is a rare psychiatric emergency, affecting only 0.1-0.2% of mothers, making it the least frequent option.
- Option D: This is a general description of symptoms rather than a specific, classified clinical disorder. While stress and anxiety are common, 'postpartum blues' is the correct term for the most frequent, distinct syndrome.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Prevalence and differentiation of postpartum psychiatric disorders as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- A key nursing role is to educate the mother and her family about the signs of postpartum blues and differentiate it from PPD and psychosis. Reassurance that the 'blues' are common and transient is vital.
- Nurses should use screening tools like the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during postpartum visits to detect signs of depression that go beyond the blues.
- Patient safety is paramount. Nurses must teach families the red flags that require immediate medical attention: symptoms lasting more than two weeks, thoughts of harming oneself or the baby, or an inability to care for the baby.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core of the question, which is to find the 'most frequent' disorder.
- Analyze the term 'puerperium', which refers to the postpartum period (roughly the first 6 weeks after birth).
- Recall or deduce the prevalence rates of the conditions listed in the options.
- Compare the frequencies: Postpartum blues (very high, 50-80%), Postpartum depression (moderate, 10-15%), and Postpartum psychosis (rare, <1%).
- Eliminate 'Delivery related stress and anxiety' as it's a descriptive phrase, not a specific clinical disorder with a defined prevalence in this context.
- Select the option with the highest known prevalence, which is Postpartum blues.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Prevalence and differentiation of postpartum psychiatric disorders.
- Stem keywords: most frequent, neurotic disorder, puerperium
- Lead-in keywords: Most frequent
Question ID
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Reference Book
E6 Medicine Davidson Principles Practice 24e p. 1226-1228
E6 Gynecology Williams p. 323-395
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 8425-8427
Practise the full KPSC Staff Nurse - 2018
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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