My daughter

[LoganJ12]

My daughter was diagnosed with pp in August this year. Her son was 8 weeks old. After taking 1mg of rispirode her symptoms quickly cleared. However a month later they came back and this time she is hearing voices. Her rispirodone has been increased to 3mg but this has left her quite sedated and sleeping mist of time. She is still hearing voices. Has anyone experienced this?

[Kat_at_APP Volunteer]

Hi Logan and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry to hear of your daughter's illness. Is she being treated at home or in hospital?

I think you'll find on here that everyone's experiences vary a little. But I think having one initial Psychotic episode, followed by a more severe/prolonged episode, is not uncommon. When I was ill I had a fairly short (4 or 5 hour) episode, and then another week of extreme anxiety and sleep deprivation, followed by a full blown psychotic episode which had me hospitalised for many weeks.

Is sleep deprivation a factor for your daughter? Perhaps that had been building up over the 8 weeks since your grandson was born?

Have they offered her much else apart from the medication?

Sending you and your family all my best wishes

Kat x

[LoganJ12 in reply to Kat_at_APP]

Hi

She is being treated at home. I have moved in with her and providing 24 hour care for her and my grandson. Her husband is working and struggling to come to terms with her illness.

Sleep deprivation was a problem initially but now it's the opposite she is constantly sleeping. We now have a new team visiting daily who are currently talking about cbt As well as medication.

We have conflicting information from professionals her psychiatrist said medication will stop the voices however the early help team say this may not be the case.

We are all very confused at the moment.

[Kat_at_APP Volunteer]

It's such a confusing and distressing time. Are any of the health care team specialists in perinatal mental illness? Postpartum psychosis as you can probably tell from all the info on the APP site is a very specific condition that usually needs quite specialist care. But the good news is that the prognosis is very positive and recovery tends to happen within 8-12 weeks or so (on average I believe). Have you found the Recovery Guide and also the Guide for Partners? The link is here: app-network.org/what-is-pp/...

I would strongly recommend that you and your son in law have a read - there is a lot of useful content in these.

Don't lose hope - the illness is so shocking for family members to witness, but it is very much temporary!

Kx

[Hidden]

Hello,

If sleep deprivation was a problem initially she has sleep debt which may aid in her oversleeping. Risperidone is also known to be sedative at higher doses as well as askathesia. Just because its worked once does not mean it may continue the same way.

I was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder as my pp subsided and started having hypomanic episodes, known as bipolar 2. My sister had bipolar 1 with mania and also hears voices and sees things despite being on medication like your daughter, and usually has to switch medications.

Sometimes it takes a bit to find the right one and dose. Hang in there

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Dear LoganJ12

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear that your daughter has PP. I had PP in 2011 after the birth of my son, and I know what a trauma it was for me and my whole family.

Kat has given some great support and advice above. It sounds like your daughter may be suffering with depression now, when you say she is sleeping all the time? This is something I experienced too.

It is good you have a team visiting daily. Do you know if it is a perinatal mental health team (who support women who are ill after having a baby)? As Kat says PP is quite an unusual illness and its important the professionals supporting your daughter are knowledgeable about PP.

Just to say I found CBT really helpful in my recovery, particularly in helping me cope with the depression, where I would often go into a negative cycle and feel very down, sleep a lot etc. I hope that CBT will be helpful for your daughter.

I just wanted to make sure you had seen all our information on our website, including insider guides which were written by women and families affected by PP, and leading perinatal mental health clinicians. There is a recovery guide, but also a guide for partners, which may be helpful for your daughter's husband to read, and also for yourself. They are free to download and we can also post for free small amounts of them within the UK:

app-network.org/what-is-pp/...

I also thought you might find it helpful to read this blog post, written by someone who has had PP, about what support was helpful, and what she would have liked to have heard from friends / family / professionals when she was ill. The blog post certainly rang true in terms of my own experience and it may help you in terms of how you support your daughter: ppsoup.com/2016/01/26/what-...

Thinking of you and your family. Your daughter will get better and recover, I know it can be hard to believe it at the time.

Take care, and never hesitate to write on here for support,

Ellie

[LoganJ12 in reply to Ellie_at_APP]

Hi

Thanks for your reply.

Yes I have ordered paper copies of the insider guides for my son in law and myself.

We now have an appointment for a review of her medication. I hope this will help as at the moment she is just wiped out.

[Lilybeth Volunteer]

Hello Loganj12

How are you coping providing 24 hour care for your daughter and grandson? I hope you can find space in the day to yourself as it must be very exhausting for you.

I had PP twice many years ago and following my second episode I was mainly treated at home, except in times of crisis when I was admitted to general psychiatric care as an outpatient for treatment. I was experiencing delusions and hearing voices which were all very real and frightening at the time. I was very ill and my family were asked to watch me 24/7 which must have been very stressful for them due to my behaviour.

It must be very hard to come to terms with such an awful illness at the same time as celebrating the joy of a grandchild. I hope the medication review is helpful. I can remember sleeping during the day but waking at night, thinking it was morning. I think the medication had a sedating effect to keep me stable and safe.

I hope your son-in-law is coping at work as it must be very difficult for him too. A dad whose wife had PP has shared his experience in a book entitled "Husband in a Storm" which you will find on this site at app-network.org/wp-content/.... Similarly a grandmother has also written a post which may be reassuring for you, the link being healthunlocked.com/app-netw....

It's very early days in your daughter's recovery but with good medical care and your loving support she will be well again. Please also remember to take good care of yourself.

We are all here to support you and your family. Your daughter will feel so comforted that you are by her side.

[Chick44nzrn]

Dear Logan . Firstly what a lucky daughter to have her mum to support her . . Your presence and care will be a huge help . If you can , try to look after your own wellbeing through all the worry you have . Sleep deprivation has a big impact on all mental health conditions and although your daughter is sleeping a lot at present the extra sleep could be helping her recovery but you could also suggest a medication review from the

Clinical team, if you have concerns about the medication C BT. Can be very helpful in coping with depression . It's a really shocking illness at a time when baby's arrival is the joyful event for the family but it will improve and your daughter will recover . .holistic remedies do not cure but can help alleviate the stress of this illness , and for that reason I'd suggest any thing pleasant and therapeutic such as massage , aromatherapy , etc can in a small way help to take the edge off the negative symptoms . .you are doing a great job to your family . My best wishes to you all . .Denise

[Lilybeth Volunteer]

Hello Loganj12

Just wondering how you are and whether your daughter's medication review was helpful? It's early days but I hope your daughter is slowly recovering with all your good care at home.

PP is such a challenging illness and I hope you are managing to rest. How is your son-in-law coping?

We are all here to support you so please keep in touch if we can help.

Take care.

[LoganJ12 in reply to Lilybeth]

Hi they are in the process of changing her medication. Hopefully that will stop her feeling so sedated.

My son in law struggles to understand but refuses to talk about or read any info on pp so it's really difficult.

It's so hard but I keep telling my daughter and myself that it temporary and she will get better.

[Kat_at_APP Volunteer in reply to LoganJ12]

Hi LoganJ12,

I’m really hoping your daughter will start to feel much better soon. It’s good they are adjusting her medication to help with her sedation levels. There is a tricky balance to find between managing the distress of psychosis and actually being awake enough to function through the day!

I was very lethargic on high doses of olanzapine, but I realise now it was also keeping me relatively safe.

I’m sorry your son in law is reluctant to engage with the whole subject of PP. I remember how difficult my husband found it, to acknowledge how ill I was, but in our case I guess it was taken out of his hands - with me being hospitalised for so long. He found it hard to find anyone to talk to, and got a lot of amazing support from this very forum himself! I hope he manages to come to terms with it all. And remind him as much as your daughter that the illness is temporary.

Lots of best wishes to you all

Kat x

[Hidden]

Sending you my best wishes, too. We are thinking of you Loganj12 and your daughter. Hope you are managing well.

Kindest regards.

[Lilybeth Volunteer]

Hello Loganj12

I hope your daughter is slowly improving since her medication was reviewed. I remember feeling very tired with the side effects of medication but it was keeping me stable at the time.

I think it was very hard for my husband and family to accept how much I had changed since PP hit me out of the blue and I was sectioned. It does take time for family to come to terms with such a challenging illness. You are doing so much to help your daughter and son-in-law and I hope you find space to rest at such a hard time for you.

Take good care ....... we are all here to help if we can.