Current Psychiatry reports on clues about whether a postpartum woman has bipolar disorder instead of postpartum depression. This is important, because many of the postpartum depression screening tools do not look for these types of symptoms. These clues include:
- being overly talkative
- elated or expansive mood
- needing less sleep
- racing thoughts
- history of bipolar disorder in any of your parents or siblings
- problems with taking antidepressants, for instance if they cause mania or hypomania
Often, women diagnosed with bipolar disorder in postpartum period find out they have always been bipolar but were not aware that the symptoms they were experiencing throughout their lives were those of bipolar disorder. In other cases, some women have their very first episode of bipolar disorder in the postpartum period.
Since the treatment for bipolar disorder is different than that of depression, it is important for healthcare providers to recognize the difference between the two.
This is exactly what I'm exploring with myself and my treatment right now. I can completely relate. My Mental health needs and responses have become so different since having my 2nd child. It's a scary prospect but good to know it can be common. Thank you for sharing Katherine.
I wished…I wished that mine was caught right from the getgo. It makes so much sense why I was on this perpetual medication yo yo and never fully got better. If it weren't for my last hypomanic episode I'd still be struggling. I hope that more medical professionals really hone in on this.
This is helpful. My (stupid) psychiatrist brought this up but everything I've come across makes me think bipolar really isn't my issue. If it were, so be it. But it doesn't seem like it is. So glad to see you addressing this.