[Mentally ill women's subjective views on desire for children and mental illness - a qualitative approach].

OBJECTIVE The desire for children among women with mental disorders may be influenced by the perception of reproductive risks for the person herself as well as for the potential child. There is a lack of research regarding the desire for children among this group. METHODS 15 narrative-biographical interviews with women with mental illness aged 26-42 years. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using a reconstructive approach. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS Desire for children is considered problematic by the women interviewed. Taking psychotropic drugs during pregnancy and limitations in parenting capabilities are described as dilemmata. Transmission of the mental disorder to the potential child and the limitations of planning motherhood are reported as further problems. However, individual experiences with mental disorder are also considered a parenting resource. Three different forms of coping were extracted: exclusion of motherhood, postponing motherhood, and neglecting reproductive risks.

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