Meeting abstract

https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.118

Between Autonomy and Safety: Clinical Dilemmas in the Treatment of Psychotic Disorders During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period

Anamarija Petek Erić ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia *
Ivana Pavličević Tomas ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Josipa Ivanušić Pejić ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Gordana Filipović ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Zoran Čavajda ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Igor Damašek ; Clinic for Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia; Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Psychotic disorders during pregnancy and after
childbirth are among the most complex areas of
contemporary psychiatry. Clinical decision-making
requires assessing the benefits and risks of
therapeutic interventions for both mother and
fetus, while simultaneously taking into account
the ethical and legal aspects of care. Situations
in which psychotic symptoms impair a patient’s
capacity to make informed decisions about treatment,
raising questions of possible involuntary
treatment and the application of legally prescribed
measures, are a particular challenge. The
aim of the workshop is to enhance psychiatrists’ competencies in making diagnostic and therapeutic
decisions in the treatment of psychotic disorders
during pregnancy and the postpartum period,
and to stimulate discussion on the clinical,
ethical, and legal dilemmas that arise in everyday
practice. The workshop will be based on the presentation
and analysis of several clinical cases
from routine psychiatric practice, including women
with primary psychotic disorders, first-onset
psychotic symptoms during pregnancy, and postpartum
psychosis as a psychiatric emergency.
Through the presented cases, the workshop will
address therapeutic decision-making, including
the choice and adjustment of psychopharmacotherapy
during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the
possibilities for supportive and psychotherapeutic
interventions, assessment of capacity to provide
informed consent, and management of situations
in which a pregnant woman refuses treatment
or, through her behavior, endangers her
own safety, the safety of the fetus, or that of others.
The cases will be analyzed from different expert
perspectives of psychiatrists experienced in
biological, social, psychotherapeutic, and forensic
psychiatry, with the aim of comparing different
clinical approaches and patterns of decision-making.
Particular attention will be paid to situations
in which the principles of patient autonomy, fetal
well-being, and the physician’s responsibility to
protect life and health come into conflict. Participants
will be actively involved in clinical decision-
making throughout the workshop through
structured discussion and case analysis. Special
emphasis will be placed on comparing different
treatment approaches, critically considering current
professional recommendations and available
evidence from the literature, and applying them
in everyday clinical situations.

Keywords

perinatal psychiatry; pregnancy; postpartum psychosis; antipsychotics; coercive measures

Hrčak ID:

352235

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352235

Publication date:

15.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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