Postpartum Psychosis And Postpartum Depression- Know The Difference, It May Save Your Life
We’ve all heard about postpartum depression, but what's the difference between postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression?
The new movie Tully is creating quite a storm, showing the narrative of one woman’s struggles with postpartum struggles, and it has opened the stage, for more women to come forward and discuss the terrifying mental health associated with postpartum psychosis.
This rare, and sometimes deadly condition affects one out of a thousand women, so it is rare, and a wholly different condition than postpartum depression, which is much more common.
Many psychologists believe that postpartum psychosis could be a postbirth episode of bipolar disorder, however, one doesn’t have to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder previously in order to experience postpartum psychosis.
Given the same name, it will come as no surprise, that women suffering from postpartum psychosis will experience the same highs and lows as someone with bipolar disorder.
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Women are prone to suicidal thoughts or feelings, and it can extend to harming their own babies and families – with their gut feeling that it is the morally right thing to do.
women have reported hearing voices, seeing hallucinations, and becoming obsessed with the slightest of things.
It is usually triggered within the first two weeks after giving birth. One report describes a case study in which a mother with postpartum psychosis experienced hallucinations of taking her newborn baby into her arms and stepping in front of a subway train.
Suffice it to say, this is a serious condition, that needs medical attention immediately. Knowing what signs to look for in a new mom is the right direction – such as being detached, feeling that they are an awful parent, being extremely obsessive about seemingly everyday activities, thoughts about suicide, or being instructed to harm their baby and hallucinations.
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