Postpartum depression

Postpartum psychosis

About 1 or 2 new mothers in every 1,000 get a rare but serious mental illness called postpartum psychosis.

Source:
Kendell RE, Chalmers JC, Platz C.
Epidemiology of puerperal psychosis.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 1987; 150: 662-673.

Most cases of postpartum psychosis start in the first two weeks after the baby is born. This is different from postpartum depression, which usually comes on weeks or even months after the birth.

Source:
Clay EC, Seehusen DA.
A review of postpartum depression for the primary care physician.
Southern Medical Journal. 2004; 97: 157-161.

You might have postpartum psychosis if you have some or all of the following.

Source:
Clay EC, Seehusen DA.
A review of postpartum depression for the primary care physician.
Southern Medical Journal. 2004; 97: 157-161.

Source:
Wisner KL, Parry BL, Piontek CM.
Clinical Practice. Postpartum depression.
New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 347: 194-199.

You can't sleep, even when your baby does
You feel agitated or irritated
You feel depressed or unusually happy, or swing rapidly between these moods
You have beliefs that couldn't be true (called

delusion
A delusion is a belief you have that couldn't possibly be true. For example, you may feel that somebody is out to harm you even after it's been shown not to be true. Or you may believe that a famous person is in love with you even though you've never met him or her.

delusions), often about your baby
You see, hear, touch or smell things that aren't real (called

hallucinations
If you have hallucinations, you perceive things that aren't really there. You may see things that don't exist or hear voices when nobody's talking. Or you may get a crawling feeling on your skin when there isn't anything on it. Hallucinations can make you feel frightened and agitated.

hallucinations)
You feel very confused
You avoid your baby.

Women with postpartum psychosis may harm themselves or their babies, or both. Because of this risk, they are usually cared for in the hospital with their babies. They are usually given antipsychotic drugs.

Source:
Clay EC, Seehusen DA.
A review of postpartum depression for the primary care physician.
Southern Medical Journal. 2004; 97: 157-161.

No one knows exactly what causes postpartum psychosis. But because it tends to come on so quickly after childbirth, many researchers think it's set off by the changes in a woman's body, such as the rapid changes in

hormones
Hormones are chemicals that are made in certain parts of the body. They travel through the bloodstream and have an effect on other parts of the body. For example, the female sex hormone estrogen is made in a woman's ovaries. Estrogen has many different effects on a woman's body. It makes the breasts grow at puberty and helps control periods. It is also needed to get pregnant.

hormones after giving birth.

Source:
Robertson E, Lyons A.
Living with puerperal psychosis: a qualitative analysis.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. 2003; 76: 411-431.

⁴

The symptoms of postpartum psychosis are a lot like those of a mental illness called bipolar disorder. Another name for that illness is manic depression. And women with bipolar disorder have a high risk, between 30 percent and 50 percent, of getting postpartum psychosis after having a baby.

Source:
Kendell RE, Chalmers JC, Platz C.
Epidemiology of puerperal psychosis.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 1987; 150: 662-673.

Source:
Davidson A, Robertson E.
A follow-up study of postpartum illness, 1946-1978.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 1985; 71: 451-457.

⁵

Source:
Terp IM, Mortensen PB.
Post-partum psychoses. Clinical diagnoses and relative risk of admission after parturition.
British Journal of Psychiatry. 1998; 172: 521-526.

⁶

Postpartum psychosis is most common after the first pregnancy. Women with this illness get better, but they're at high risk of getting it again after another pregnancy or at other times in their life.

Source:
Robertson E, Lyons A.
Living with puerperal psychosis: a qualitative analysis.
Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. 2003; 76: 411-431.

⁴

Women who've had a mental illness before, which was bad enough to need hospital treatment, have a higher chance of postpartum psychosis.

Source:
Harlow BL, Vitonis AF, Sparen P, et al.
Incidence of hospitalization for postpartum psychotic and bipolar episodes in women with and without prior prepregnancy or prenatal psychiatric hospitalizations.
Archives of General Psychiatry. 2007; 64: 42-48.

⁷

Sources for the information on this page:

Kendell RE, Chalmers JC, Platz C.Epidemiology of puerperal psychosis.British Journal of Psychiatry. 1987; 150: 662-673.

Clay EC, Seehusen DA.A review of postpartum depression for the primary care physician.Southern Medical Journal. 2004; 97: 157-161.

Wisner KL, Parry BL, Piontek CM.Clinical Practice. Postpartum depression.New England Journal of Medicine. 2002; 347: 194-199.

Robertson E, Lyons A.Living with puerperal psychosis: a qualitative analysis.Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. 2003; 76: 411-431.

Davidson A, Robertson E.A follow-up study of postpartum illness, 1946-1978.Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica. 1985; 71: 451-457.

Terp IM, Mortensen PB.Post-partum psychoses. Clinical diagnoses and relative risk of admission after parturition.British Journal of Psychiatry. 1998; 172: 521-526.

Harlow BL, Vitonis AF, Sparen P, et al.Incidence of hospitalization for postpartum psychotic and bipolar episodes in women with and without prior prepregnancy or prenatal psychiatric hospitalizations.Archives of General Psychiatry. 2007; 64: 42-48.

This information was last updated on Mar 06, 2009

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