What Is Postpartum Psychosis?
6. Investigations
As previously mentioned, laboratory investigations and a complete physical examination should be performed to rule out organic causes. In some cases, rare medical conditions such as Sheehan syndrome, frontal lobe tuberculoma, and frontotemporal dementia can mimic the symptoms of postpartum psychiatric disorders.
Some important investigations include electrolyte levels, complete blood count (CBC), creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, vitamin B12, thyroid function tests, folate, glucose levels, urinalysis, calcium, urine culture (especially in a patient with fever), and a urine drug test. Neurological evaluation includes a brain scan using a computerized tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to rule out stroke due to ischemia or hemorrhage.
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