Postnatal Psychosis

A treatable illness

Most people know little, if anything about postnatal psychosis so when one experiences it, it comes as a shock. It can often happen‘out of the blue’ to women without any previous history of mental illness. Changes in behaviour and thinking are often sudden and dramatic. Postnatal psychosis can cause a loss of contact with reality, and behaviour that seems out of character. Fortunately postnatal psychosis is temporary and treatable. Women generally experience a full recovery with time and appropriate treatment and go on to mother their children as they expected to.

Causes of postnatal psychosis

While we know little about what causes postnatal psychosis, we do know that women who experience bipolar disorder or who have experienced postnatal psychosis after previous births are at greater risk. There is also an increased risk in women with a family history of postnatal psychosis or bipolar disorder.

Severe sleep deprivation and rapid hormonal changes following childbirth may also be contributing factors. Many women will have only a single episode of postnatal psychosis, while others might experience it with more than one baby. For a smaller group of women, postnatal psychosis may mark the first episode of bipolar disorder.

*This condition is also known as puerperal or postpartum psychosis.

'I experienced delusional thinking and at times felt paranoid. I had times of severe depression, some elevated moods and severe anxiety.