These are the kind of posts we don’t like to write. But they are also the posts we must write because these situations carry the most potential for stigma and misunderstanding as they relate to the Perinatal Mood & Anxiety realm.
A recent situation in Cincinnati is the reason for this post. I won’t link for safety reasons, and if you are fragile, I would recommend you NOT Google for the story. (If, however, you do, and you need someone to talk to about it during the day, find me on Twitter here: @unxpctdblessing. I will be happy to chat with you.)
Media sensationalism along with misunderstanding by society at large can turn a singular incident into a large scale stigma fest. THIS is why we write posts like this. To educate and prevent misunderstandings in the future. It is a delicate balance to write these posts without triggering our audience, hence the emergency stop picture. While I have tried to keep this post as non-triggering as possible, again, if you are fragile, you may want to skip this post.
When a mother with Postpartum Psychosis follows through with behavior which is limited to a very small percentage of mothers who do experience psychosis, it is splashed across the front pages and often combined with the term “postpartum depression” or “baby blues,” leading readers to believe a depressed mother is capable of this act.
Let’s get a few things straight here.
Postpartum Psychosis only occurs in 1-2 of every 1000 births, or .1% of births.
Of those .1%, only 4% may commit infanticide, and 5% may commit suicide.
Postpartum Psychosis is NOT Postpartum Depression.
Postpartum Psychosis is defined by hallucinations, delusions, rapid mood swings, decreased sleep, and increased paranoia.
Postpartum Depression is defined by increased sadness, irritability, increased sleep, feelings of guilt, and loss of interest in usual things. It also carries the risk of thoughts of harming your child or yourself, but mothers with Postpartum Depression are highly unlikely to follow through.
Baby Blues is experienced by up to 80% of all new mothers and is NOT a disorder found on the Perinatal Mood & Anxiety spectrum.
It’s important to note here that I know more than a few mothers who have successfully fought back against psychosis and won. They (and their children) are still with us. Psychosis also does not always equal the death of a mother or a child. It is, however, the one disorder on the spectrum which carries the highest risk for loss of life.
I want to add that Postpartum OCD is the other disorder on the spectrum closest to the signs and symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis. How do you tell the two apart? OCD moms are typically disgusted by the thoughts which flit through their heads while moms with Psychosis believe the thoughts they are experiencing, no matter how delusional, are real and rational. They are driven to follow through with them, while moms with OCD fight against them and do everything to make them go away. Am I saying moms with Psychosis WANT to follow through with their delusions? No. I’m saying that because of the nature of the disorder, they are unable to fight back without help.
From the Postpartum Support International Website:
It is also important to know that many survivors of postpartum psychosis never had delusions containing violent commands. Delusions take many forms, and not all of them are destructive. Most women who experience postpartum psychosis do not harm themselves or anyone else. However, there is always the risk of danger because psychosis includes delusional thinking and irrational judgment, and this is why women with this illness must be treated and carefully monitored by a trained healthcare professional.
So what should you do if you or a mother you know and love shows signs and symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis?
She should immediately be seen by a physician. She should not be left by herself, or alone with her infant at any time. It is possible she may need to be hospitalized for a short (or longer) time until she begins to respond to any prescription medications to balance her psychosis. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world and mothers often fall through the cracks. Compliance with medications outside of the hospital setting (which is the alleged case in Cincinnati), is something no one can monitor. What we can do, however, is continue to educate the population at large about the signs and symptoms, encourage them to not leave the mother alone, and encourage compliance with any treatments set forth by a medical professional.
Healing from a Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorder is not a solo journey, nor is it an easy journey. We need a village to wrap their arms around us as we learn how to walk again. Be a part of that village. Please.
Here are some resources to get you started:
Signs & Symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis
Know that above all, you are not alone and you will get through this.
Thank you for posting this article. I had postpartum psychosis with my first child and most people thought I would just be depressed when they saw me, until they came to the hospital and realized they are not at all the same thing…stigmas need to stop and women need to stop feeling ashamed, it is an illness and I was able to get better with help.
Trisha,
Thank you for commenting. I’m so glad you were able to get help and get better.
-Lauren
More awareness needs to be created about Postpartum Psychosis. Yes it is a rare postpartum mood disorder and yes it is even rarer still when the mother causes harm, yet this is most likely when the media will catch wind of the story and portray it to the masses. More stories need to be shared about women’s journey to recovery from Postpartum Psychosis and this will start to happen once the stigma is smashed away, one recovery story at a time. I am still here with my family. I am one of those women who fought back postpartum psychosis and won. Now I am sharing my journey of recovery on my blog Sarah Short Circuit. If you on the journey too, stay strong!
I had Postpartum OCD after the birth of my youngest 2 years ago. I really thought I was going crazy, I actually had symptoms while I was pregnant. I had to be hospitalized 3 times and I was terrified I was not going make it back to myself. I actually thought I was on my way to postpartum psychosis because the intrusive thoughts were getting worse and I would walk around like a zombie and just stare. My thought were so muddled that simple tasks like making dinner were near impossible. Finally after 9 months or so through a psychiatrist care I was able to find the right medication to help me. I ended up on three types of medication which really makes me exhausted but is easier to live with than the alternative.
Here in Canada when you bring your child in for their vaccines during your baby’s first year, the public health nurse gives you a questionnaire which asks you questions about your state of mind, it is based on a point system and if you score a certain way they ask you wether you would want to see a phycologist or psychiatrist depending on the severity.
Still when I was hospitalized I felt may medical staff did not believe me or thought I was over reacting, telling me things “like clam down” or they would shake their heads, I had one doctor tell me that he could nothing for me, meanwhile I am having intrusive thoughts about harming my baby and he wants to send me home. Luckily not all the doctors were like that and I am finally getting better.
Thank you for educating people on the difference of these postpartum illnesses it really helps us that are suffering or have suffered from these illnesses.
Sarah Myers
Alberta, Canada
It took me a while, but I’m weighing in…mostly because I don’t agree for Ms. Hale’s decision to randomly post and the content. I’m going out on a limb to say that just because there’s an incident, one shouldn’t feel the compulsive need to post at length. What has been released about this case (which I’ve read up on) is very little, with a reference to postpartum psychosis. We don’t know too much more, except that this mother was already restricted from accessing her baby because of this diagnosis with her. I say this to Ms. Hale, whom I’ve followed and recognize a pattern of extremism to make sure she (and others) are not categorically lumped when the occasion arises. I get it, but you know this is akin to Starbuck’s CEO wanting to discuss race relations in America. Hence, further misunderstandings.
You try so hard to categorically distinguish the paradigms that you forget about the mere fact of comorbidity and overlapping degrees of this spectrum disorder. That where these statistics are misleading. How statistics are gathered are through cases that are recognized (and we know for whatever reason – cultural, medical, legal, societal, religious..systematically the same). I speak as a non-white person (the race card) and as a survivor of a horrid mixture of the finite disorders within – a netherworld. You want to dispel a myth or a categorization (that one diagnosis means this and/ or that), but it’s not that clear cut. And within your own assertion, you recognize that those with ppd carry the risk (albeit small) of the ability to harm oneself or others.
There is already linked postings on Postpartum Progress and PSI about this spectrum end part of the disorder. You are not a survivor, I am, and I personally know a handful that have experienced similarly with overlapping symptoms, so categorizing seems inappropriate. And to randomly link suicide hotlines was for who? The one suffering isn’t going to call them. And even so, have you ever? These aren’t vetted lines of help and hope. I know. In a crisis, the last thing a hopeless person wants to do is wait to be connected or looped through a never-ending chain of trying to find the right person, only to be told to wait some more for someone to get back to them.
Annie,
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us about this. I’m so sorry you didn’t feel properly represented. Are there resources you would recommend for us?
-Lauren