Who Is Susceptible to Postpartum Psychosis? Why Am I Sharing My Story?
My Story
Without realizing it, I had all the medical risk factors for postpartum psychosis and nobody in the medical profession recognized them until it was too late:
I had been diagnosed as bipolar.
I had one previously diagnosed psychotic break.
My birth mother had experienced postpartum psychosis.
Later my diagnosis was updated to schizoaffective bipolar disorder with psychotic features.
If I had known I was at risk, my psychiatrist and my obstetrician could have teamed up to help me develop a plan for managing potential problems, including my going back on my psych meds after birth.
Are You at Risk for Postpartum Psychosis?
Yes, if you have a medical history of any of these:
Bipolar disorder
Psychoses
Schizoaffective disorder
Schizophrenia
Or if your family background includes any medical history of these:
Bipolar disorder
Psychoses
Some psychosocial stressors that contribute to increased risk include:
First pregnancy
Unplanned pregnancy
Single motherhood
Unsupportive spouses
Stopping psych meds during pregnancy
Financial hardship
Real (or perceived) birth defects in the baby
The Takeaway: Why am I sharing all this?
Awareness.
Because--it is estimated that while only 4% of mothers who develop postpartum psychosis kill their babies, approximately 5% of mothers with postpartum psychosis kill themselves.
Because--it is essential to understand that not all mothers with postpartum psychosis are violent, dangerous women.
Because--those mothers who are afflicted, and who want to protect their babies from harm, are often misunderstood.
Advocacy.
Because--routine mental health screening should be a mandatory part of every pregnancy and postpartum medical follow-up.
Because--separating mothers from their babies during the postpartum period traumatizes both mother and child. I believe mothers and their babies should be placed in specialized Mother and Baby Units (MBUs) rather than placing just mothers without their babies on in-patient psych wards with the rest of the mentally ill population,
Because--every woman should be--needs to be--her own best mental health advocate in order to receive the best possible treatment.
Because--any woman, not just those who have risk factors, could be afflicted by postpartum psychosis.
My goal in writing this post is to help other women have a happy ending to their birth stories. If you have a story to share, I’m here to listen.
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Many thanks to my friend and writing partner, Cindy Heath, for her invaluable edits and insights and her generosity with her time.