Postpartum Obsessive-compulsive Disorder in a Nigerian Woman: a Case Report and Literature Review

Abstract

We report an obsessive-compulsive disorder in a Nigerian woman, which developed 3 months following delivery of a live baby. A 30-year-old woman who delivered a live female baby at a maternity centre was brought to the teaching hospital with vaginal bleeding owing to a retained placenta. She was transfused with 3 pints of blood after placenta evacuation and discharged 3 weeks later, with a packed cell volume of 32%. She had no prior history of psychopathology at discharge but presented at 3 months post-delivery with an obsessive-compulsive disorder. The relevant literature was reviewed. Obsessive-compulsive disorder should be screened for in pregnancy and the postpartum period, because just as in the West it is not rare in this environment. Increased awareness can help prevent or reduce the disability associated with this disorder.