Studied the medical notes of 91 women (aged 17-40 yrs) who had a psychiatric illness requiring admission within 9 mo of childbirth. The incidence of postpartum psychosis was 3 per 1,000 births, of which 66% were affective psychoses. It is suggested that only severe cases were brought to the hospital and an unknown number of women suffering from puerperal illness are treated by local healers or receive no treatment.