Postpartum Psychiatric Problems

James Alexander Hamilton

Muriwai Books, Dec 12, 2018 - Health & Fitness - 166 pages

The present volume deals with the illness nowadays known as Postpartum Depression (PPD). The book was written by Dr. James Alexander Hamilton, a California psychiatrist who in 1980 founded the Marcé Society; its aim was to bring together psychiatrists, endocrinologists and social scientists to foster communication about PPD, which directly aligned with Dr. Hamilton’s goal, since 1955, to encourage physicians in the United States to better understand PPD in order to help victims of the illness.

“Psychiatric illness which develops after childbirth is one of the most challenging problems of modern medicine. It usually occurs acutely and unexpectedly from a state of apparent good health. The patient is disabled at precisely the moment when her responsibilities and her capacity for enjoyment of life are greatest. Successful treatment of this kind of illness is most rewarding.

“This book represents a collection and integration of widely scattered information which bears on the diagnosis and treatment of postpartum psychiatric problems. Some of this information relates to neglected physiological factors in these problems.”—Dr. James Alexander Hamilton

About the author

James Alexander Hamilton was an American psychiatrist and author. He was born on June 9, 1907 in Pecatonica, Illinois, the son of Dwight Stoney and Pearl (Blake) Hamilton. He attended from the University of California, Berkeley and received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1928 and his Ph.D. in 1935. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from Stanford University in 1941. Dr. Hamilton began his career as assistant professor of psychology and assistant dean of students at the University of California, Berk. in 1941. He then served in the United States Army during World War II, attaining the rank of major, from 1942-1948. He then went into private practice in San Francisco, California for 30 years, whilst also serving as a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Stanford University (California) from 1949-1955, and associate clinical professor in psychiatry from 1956-1975. He began researching postpartum psychosis in 1955. He acted as director and vice chairman of Chemetrics Corporation in Burlingame from 1975-1979. In 1962, Dr. Hamilton wrote the landmark Postpartum Psychiatric Problems. Interest and research in the field grew, and in 1980 he founded the International Marcé Society, headquartered in England. The Marcé Society was named after French psychiatrist Victor Marcé, who wrote the first treatise on puerperal mental illness in 1858 and advocated for research, treatment, and the promotion of social support in the area of postpartum illness worldwide. Continuing his research, in 1992, Dr. Hamilton and Patricia Neel Harberger published Postpartum Psychiatric Illness: A Picture Puzzle, which further contributed to the knowledge base regarding perinatal mental illness. In 1987, he founded Postpartum Support International (PSI) in collaboration with Jane Honikman, and members included social support group leaders from England, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and the United States. Dr. Hamilton was a member of American Psychiatric Association.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Postpartum Psychiatric Problems
• Author: James Alexander Hamilton
• Publisher: Muriwai Books, 2018
• ISBN: 1789128307, 9781789128307
• Length: 166 pages
• Subjects: Health & Fitness / Body Cleansing & Detoxification; Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / Diets; Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / General; Health & Fitness / Diet & Nutrition / Nutrition