Postpartum psychosis isn’t an illness that many people have heard of, even though it impacts many parents with the arrival of a child. Postpartum psychosis is a mental illness that begins days or weeks after having a baby. Symptoms vary from person to person and can include high mood, depression, confusion, and hallucination. “About 1 in every 1000 women (0.1%) who have a baby will have postpartum psychosis.”
Postpartum psychosis isn’t an illness that many people have heard of, even though it impacts many parents with the arrival of a child. Postpartum psychosis is a mental illness that begins days or weeks after having a baby. Symptoms vary from person to person and can include high mood, depression, confusion, and hallucination. “About 1 in every 1000 women (0.1%) who have a baby will have postpartum psychosis.” https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/post-partum-psychosis/ Very different to baby blues which affects more than half of mothers, postpartum psychosis is a severe illness that can start with depressed thoughts and rapid changes in mood to delusions and having thoughts and feelings about you or your baby that aren’t likely to be true. These symptoms can make it hard for mothers to look after themselves and their baby and can make those first experiences with your new born quite traumatic. It is strange to see that we don’t hear much about this illness in our everyday lives. Genetic factors and hormone levels can be reasons why people suffer with postpartum psychosis and is never anyone’s fault.
The NHS website states that there needs to be more research on the illness and more overall awareness on the subject. Both the mother and father can experience postpartum psychosis but as little as the illness is talked about, most cases concentrate on the mother’s side. Women with a history of bipolar are the most likely to suffer from postpartum psychosis and although no one is at fault, it is clear to see why mothers would blame themselves because of the negative coverage and definitions of postpartum psychosis in the media and online. After reading many stories, it’s clear to see that the illness, for most parents comes out of nowhere. A sudden thought that someone could harm your baby can turn into intense paranoia against your close family members or friends. In many cases, the parent cannot understand what is happening to them and this is the key time in which they need support. Many parents want those first few moments with their children to be special but as with most mental illnesses, it is hard to come to terms with it and can be a distressing time for both parents involved.
There was a recent storyline in the soap: EastEnders in which the character Stacy, who had bipolar, believed that her newborn son belonged to God and had to be returned to him before any of her close family harmed him. Although at the end of the episodes there was information on where to get advice from the storyline, there was no mention of postpartum psychosis. Once Stacy received medication for her illness, the story disappeared almost as if the writers only cared to portray the illness and not the recovery.
When looking further into the storyline, EastEnders contacted women who had suffered from the illness and took their experiences on board. “Within an hour of giving birth, my brain felt like it was shutting down and instead of feeling joy about having a baby, I felt scared of him.” Here Eve Canavan, (a mother who worked closely with the show) recalls the spontaneity of her symptoms and we can see just how distressing the illness can be for people, especially without receiving guidance or advice about postpartum psychosis throughout pregnancy. Illnesses like this should be introduced to people through education and pregnancy to prepare parents and let them know where they can seek help or advice.
Putting these necessary precautions in place not only helps someone when their thoughts and feelings get blurred or confusing but can teach people from a young age that you aren’t ‘crazy’ for having these thoughts. Mental illness is something that everyone has suffered from or knows someone who suffers and so having conversations about real experiences like this is needed. Eve says that the mother and baby unit is the reason she is alive today and so this shows that advice and guidance to mothers from professionals is very important to recovery and coping with the illness. This is especially important when the mother can feel trapped and unsafe with her baby. “People think postpartum psychosis is rare and so it’s never ever talked about. I’d never heard of it and even though the storyline has only been running for a few months, the impact it has had so far is amazing. Women need to be told about the possibility of postpartum psychosis and how it is a medical emergency. It’s scary but with the right treatment, you can and do make a full recovery.” – Eve Canavan.\
There are many places that offer help and guidance on postpartum psychosis such as the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. They have a campaign to ensure all women throughout the UK who experience perinatal mental health problems receive the care they and their families need, wherever and whenever they need it. They focus on awareness, education and action which are the key factors in having conversations about Maternal mental health to a point in which people can feel comfortable enough to seek help and confide in those close to them. https://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/.
Action on Postpartum Psychosis is also a charity that supports vital research and is constantly looking for donations and organising fundraising events. https://www.app-network.org/
All of these companies are taking the vital steps to ensuring illnesses such as postpartum psychosis are made aware of so that parents can receive the right support and guidance they need.
We want to speak to anyone who has experienced post partum psychosis to create a case study and some tips on what they think would have helped them when they experienced this. We can keep you anonymous if you do not want to share your name but please get in touch to share your story.
My email is Jodie.hill@thrivelaw.co.uk