ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the most prevalent conditions in maternal mental illness. It begins by looking at the psychophysiology at pre-conception and how this can impact the pregnancy and the infant. The chapter then goes onto describe the most common conditions which are stress, freeze/shutdown in pregnancy, anxiety and depression. It then looks at some of the confounders which can make treatment more complicated. These confounders are addiction, single parenting, familial factors and lack of support, and the impact of COVID-19 on women and pregnancy. The chapter ends by concluding that there is not enough information in the general domain on psychophysiology prior to conception.
