New Book - Personal Account of PP & Postpartum Depression

I experienced postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression after the births of both of my children in 2003 & 2006. Both times my PP was severe enough to require hospitalization. I had no prior history of mental illness, and in fact had worked as a psychiatric social worker in the past. I wish that I would have had a forum like this at the time, as I really needed the support, but could not find it anywhere.

However, if I had, then I might not have written my story.

Fortunately, I made a full recovery and have not experienced any further psychiatric symptoms since 2007. I was also able to find the positives, and feel that many aspects of my psychotic episodes were spiritually significant. Mine is a story of hope!

I have written a first person account, but with the added perspective of having education and experience in mental health. My book would be helpful for those who have shared similar experiences, and for their families and mental health professionals who want to understand these illnesses from an experiential perspective. I would not recommend my book to anyone who is acutely ill or feeling fragile, as there is detailed content of my experiences.

My self-published e-book is called: "When I Heard God Speak: A Memoir of Spiritual Awakening Through Mental Illness"

For more information, visit wheniheardgodspeakbook.com

I would love to know if my book helps anyone.

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  • Thank you dd2013. I'm going to buy your book - it might be just what I need to better connect with someone who sounds like they went through something similar to me. Hopefully it might help to better explain it to my family too and give me guidance for if I ever decide to be brave enough to have another child x

  • Please see my reply below!

  • Hi dd2013

    Thanks very much for posting the details on here about your book. I am really glad you have found the forum. It is an amazing place where you can connect with others and ask questions.

    It is great to hear that you made a full recovery from PP and have found positives in order to write a story of hope. This story will be inspiring for people to read. I too had a spiritual experience of PP and would be very interested to read your story.

    Unfortunately, I do not have a kindle so would not be able to read it though unless there was another way to view it. Please keep us posted as to when it will be published and those who do not have a kindle would be able to purchase a copy.

    Thanks again for sharing this.

    Take care

    Emma. x

  • Please see my reply below!

  • Hello there, I often wish I had time to do what you have done and I will be very interested to follow the link. My own episode PP was what I would call intensely spiritual but as I was not 'religious' at the time I just noted it all down and was always blessed when I read other accounts that had a spiritual dimension. I did post a question about delusions of grandeur and spirituality and had some very interesting responses. I did become a Christian ten years after my episode of PP and also went on to have 2 more babies without a recurrence. Look forward to reading what you have to say. Many thanks for posting and I will follow the link and see what happened to you. Helen

  • Please see my reply below!

  • I did some more looking around this site and found your post from a year ago about delusions of grandeur and spirituality. It was so interesting to read all of the responses! There are many similarities to my own experiences, including what you said about your own. Thanks for mentioning your post. It was helpful.

  • thanks. read a sample, will try and get a copy

  • Oh my gosh. Thank-you for responding to my post! I felt really emotional when I saw that women had responded. I would LOVE to hear what you all think of it, and how your experiences compare with mine.

    For those of you without a kindle, it doesn't matter. You can download the kindle version to an IPAD or even your desk top computer. There is also a Kobo version there, if you have a Kobo. I have self-published, so there isn't a physical copy to buy. There is just the e-book. If you have trouble downloading it to whatever device you have, let me know and I'll see if I can help.

    Please let me know what you all think. I'll keep checking back.

    You should also know (and there is a disclaimer in the book), that I wrote under a pen-name, as I am very concerned about personal and professional repercussions due to the stigma of mental illness. I'm sure you understand that.

    Cheers!

    "Danielle"

  • Hi dd2013

    Thanks for the update about the book. I will let you know how I get on with regards to downloading the book.

    Yes, definitely understand about using a pen-name. That's a great idea.

    Take care.

    Emma. x

  • I am having the website changed a bit, so that it is clearer that a Kindle is not necessary to read the book. I'm glad you posted what you did!

    Thanks!

  • Great, thanks. Will have a look. x

  • For those who are interested, the above mentioned book is now available in paperback through Amazon.com, or you can request that your local bookstore order it in for you. For more information, visit wheniheardgodspeakbook.com

  • I just stumbled onto this link, and I ordered a Kindle version of the book. Will look forward to reading it. In the U.S. we have a "creative efforts" list. Several of us psychosis survivors have written books about our experience in different format. I chose fiction, and in retrospect, wish I had written a memoir. We also have Melissa Bangs, who is doing a stand-up performance called "Playing Monopoly with God." Jennifer Moyer wrote a very nice memoir called "A Mother's Climb Out of Darkness." Teresa Twomey wrote "Understanding Postpartum Psychosis, A Temporary Madness."

    All the best to you, and I will post reviews after I read.

    Sharon Gerdes, author of "Back in Six Weeks."

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