The stigma and fear around postnatal psychosis can make it a “taboo” subject, but it’s one that can be potentially life-threatening if not treated.
Postnatal or Postpartum Psychosis is a serious mental illness that can develop in mothers soon after childbirth, causing major changes in mood and behaviour.
The word ‘psychosis’ refers to a loss of sense of reality. If you have postpartum psychosis, you may be seeing or hearing things that are not there (hallucinations), feeling everyone is against you (paranoia) and powerful delusions (beliefs that clearly conflict with reality). Women with postnatal psychosis need specialised psychiatric treatment to get better.