07/02/2012 Early Birth May Pose Higher Risk to the Mind (NYT)

News Text

Premature birth may increase the risk for serious mental illness in adolescence and young adulthood, a recent study reports.

Researchers reviewed birth and hospital admissions records of more than 1.3 million Swedes born from 1973 to 1985. They found that compared with those born at term, young adults born very premature — at less than 32 weeks’ gestation — were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for schizophrenia or delusional disorders, almost three times as likely for major depression, and more than seven times as likely for bipolar illness. Read full article here.