Depression after Postpartum Psychosis

[Flowersareforever1]

Hi I am currently under my local mental health team after being discharged from perinatal team my son is now 11 months old, wanted to know why my current team wont put me on tablets for my depression as talking therapy is a six months wait . Looking for thoughts on depression after postpartum Psychosis and advice on what peoples treatment plans where.? thanks

[DaniellaCharlotte]

Hello I had postpartum psychosis 2 and a half years ago and the depression came not long after being back home after being in a mother and baby unit for 6 weeks. I'm really sorry to hear you're feeling like that. At the time I was with the perinatal team whilst they reduced my medication and I told them I was feeling depressed and all they offered me was videos to watch and said the waiting list for talking therapy was 1 year! I gradually started to feel better, i think I was just processing everything that had happened. I decided to go to private therapy, I understand it can be expensive, it was £35 for an hour, once a week, but wow the difference it has made to my life, the best investment I've ever made.

I hope this helps and you start to feel better. Daniella

[mikefff]

I went to NHS talk online and registered online, it didn't take long to get a call and then start a few 6 week session of 1 hour a week. nhs.uk/mental-health/talkin...

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi Flowersareforever1,

Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to read that you went through postpartum psychosis in September last year after the birth of your baby, and that you are now experiencing depression.

I had pp in 2018 after the birth of my daughter and I also suffered from depression afterwards. At the time, medication and talking therapy were quite effective as treatments. Anti-depressants take some time to work for me, the first improvement I notice is that it is easier for me to hold back my tears, but I may become more anxious or withdrawn initially. Doing a journal helped me keep tabs on how I felt, so I could look back and see the improvements week by week, that was really encouraging, some days I did not feel like writing, so a short sentence was good enough.

Be really kind to yourself during this process, you have been through a lot, but in time you will feel better, pp is a very recoverable illness. Take good care and write here whenever you feel like it.

[SammySeal]

Hi Flowersareforever1

Sorry to hear you've been poorly with PP and now with depression. You've found a good place for support and information here though. There seems to be quite a few of us who had depression after PP.

I had PP 14yrs ago followed by postnatal depression. I had depression beforehand, but this was much worse. The GP was keen to get me on meds, but I was reluctant to take them as I was trying to breastfeed and didn't want the meds going into the baby. Even though the most difficult parts of my PP cleared up quickly, the depression got much worse, which is so hard when you've got a baby to look after.

There was a 6 month waiting list for the psychologist. I had fortnightly GP checkups to keep an eye on me - this was before perinatal mental health teams. Once I eventually went on meds 4 months after the birth (once I was bottle feeding), I quickly felt much better (after initially feeling worse, but I think that's common). Wish I went on them from the start, but we're all a genius in hindsight! I've been on the meds on and off (mainly on) ever since, low dose now, but they work well for me.

I don't know why your mental health team are reluctant to put you on depression meds. Have you asked them why? Have they given you any kind of meds or support while you're waiting on talking therapy? Be sure to let them know just how you're feeling and what your symptoms are. I found it helped to write it down and take it to appointments.

Go easy on yourself, you really will get better.

Sammy x

🙂

[Laneybug1710]

Hi there

I also had depression after my episode of postpartum psychosis. When my son was 7 months old I chose to return to the mother and baby unit I had stayed in when he had be born. While there I had my medication adjusted which helped a lot.

Later I also had cognitive behaviour therapy which I found very beneficial. Perhaps you can look into this option

Wishing you all the best

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

Hi Flowersareforever1 and welcome to the community here at APP

I'm really glad you've reached out to us and already had so many supportive replies from mums who've also suffered with depression after PP.

It can be such a wobbly time when you are discharged from a specialist perinatal team to a more generalist team in the community. Often, staff in the CMHTs may not be as well trained in perinatal mental health, especially postpartum psychosis, which can be tricky to navigate.

Do you have a good GP at the moment? A conversation with them might be worth having to talk about all your options, as often a combination of antidepressant medication and talking therapy (when this is available) can work well. If you'd like to read a bit more about the pros and cons of antidepressant medication, Mind have some really good balanced information here so you can either chat to your CMHT or see your GP feeling informed about your choices!

mind.org.uk/information-sup...

In my own recovery from PP in 2005 and 2011, I definitely found a combination of a reduced dose of my antipsychotic medication, alongside an antidepressant very helpful in lifting me out of a depression where I felt I really wasn't functioning as a mum. It took a while in 2011 to find the right antidepressant for me which was hard at the time, but once I responded it was really good to feel my sense of hope and a bit more energy coming back.

I wanted to let you know that in some areas of the UK we offer informal cafe groups either online or in person where you can talk to other mums at different stages in their recovery. If you'd like to drop me a DM using the Chat icon with the paper aeroplane letting me know where you're based I can link you up if there's a cafe group in your area.

Thanks again for reaching out, and please feel free to post and ask questions whenever you need.

Warmly

Naomi

[DM_110]

Hi Flowersareforever1

I suffered PP last February and was hospitalized for a month.

After coming home I had depression every evening after 5pm. I used to try to divert my mind, go outside etc. but it continued to get worse. I eventually started having anxiety as well which made the depression worse. My psychiatrist decided to give me sertraline at that point but I could not tolerate it due to side effects so I stopped it within a week. So my doctor enrolled me into extensive therapy which included individual and group therapy sessions along with classes and activities to manage my depression+anxiety however this did not help me either.

Eventually in the month of April they decided to do another round of ECTs (6 sessions) on me while also starting me on Escitalopram. The ECTs were super helpful and I’m still taking the Escitalopram to this day. My doctors plan is have me on it for at least 2 years.

Therapy helps to a degree but I really think for clinical depression especially if it’s affecting your lifestyle, you need to be on medication.

Hope you find the right help and treatment plan!!

[Heller62]

I am really sorry that this is taking place to you. You will get better and you are not alone. Have you discussed your symptoms with your mental health professional? They might have to change your medicine.After my psychosis, I went through a lot of what you are describing in addition to a severe, protracted depression that took months to get better. I hope you are able to get the support you require to improve.

[resilient_mama1982 Volunteer]

Hello Flowersareforever1 I am sorry to hear you are struggling depression is so hard to live through especially when you have to care for your little one as well. I had post partum psychosis after having my fourth child in 2016. The depression that followed the psychosis was such a horrible experience and a very dark chapter in my life. This was the first time in my life I was suicidal. The reason I am sharing with you is to make sure you never get to where I was at by seeking help either through your GP or mental health team. I was never given any meds for depression until 2020 when I had severe depressive episode. I am now and will always be on meds. If you ask to be put on a mood stabilizer for depression that might help. The reason there might be a reluctance to give you an anti depressant is that these meds can make us become manic leading to psychosis. Like stated before ask for mood stabilizer. I just want to say to you that this will pass. One day you will feel like your self again. Take great care of yourself 💓

[Lilybeth Volunteer]

Hello Flowersareforever1

Just wondering how you are since you posted and hope the replies here have been helpful. I’m not sure if you took up Naomi’s invitation to find out if there’s a cafe group in your area to chat with mums informally about how things are going.

You might already know about PaNDAS (PND Awareness and Support) charity which has a helpline everyday between 11.00 am - 10.00 pm on 0808 1961 776. There is also helpful and reassuring info on their website, pandasfoundation.org.uk/.

I had PP many years ago, followed by severe depression and many times felt helpless and hopeless. I was prescribed antidepressants and also sometimes outpatient hospital care for additional treatment.

I’m so sorry you have come through so much already and are now suffering depression. I hope your care team will regularly review how you are. Perhaps a family member or trusted friend could speak on your behalf to them for extra support?

Sorry I have rambled ... I know it’s hard to concentrate if you’re depressed. Thanks so much for sharing. Take care and be kind to yourself.