MESSAGE FROM APP ADMINS: this post contains possibly distressing information in reference to family featuring in PP and sectioning. If you are feeling vulnerable, do take care reading this post.
Hi all
Was anyone sectioned when they had PPP and thought they shouldn’t have been? I went to my local A&E seeking help and I was sectioned as apparently I lacked capacity and was challenging, quite irritable and grandiose in manner. I remember everything that happened and didn’t feel like I lacked capacity at the time. I was discriminated against when the AMHP first arrived as he refused to come into the room and speak to me while I was breastfeeding. Instead of speaking to me first and asking about my symptoms, he went and spoke to my parents who were outside in the corridor. This caused me to become very upset as I had sent my parents away as they were making me feel worse, oh and I truly believed that my Dad was a paedophile! But I had the insight to go to the GP and then A&E but apparently lost this insight when the AMHP and doctors arrived because I was incredibly annoyed that they had spoken to my parents first and obtained misleading information which allowed them to form a false bias against me. I was angry that I had been ignored (understandably so) and the AMHP and doctors didn’t tell that I had been sectioned nor did they read me any rights. They then arranged for a transport vehicle to take me to the local MBU which meant I had to wait in A&E until 1am, with no sleep, and then got taken by a team of 5 men and 1 woman. Of course, being taken without my consent in the middle of the night and by lots of me was very traumatic. A new delusion started at this point, that I was being trafficked. I have never felt so terrified in my entire life. The next day, they allowed my Dad onto the ward to visit me (despite me telling lots of health professionals that I thought he was a pedo) and this triggered me so I went running to find my baby and they removed him from me (apparently for being erratic and holding my baby dangerously…), then then tried to force me take meds, which I refused and then when I tried to run away, they followed me and restrained me and injected me. They then removed my baby from the ward.
I am really struggling to come to terms with what happened to me.. it all just feels so wrong. I went to A&E because I felt so unsafe and I was just treated like a crazy person by everyone that I spoke to. I was described as grandiose because I told them that I was a solicitor and knew my rights, but they didn’t believe me! Needless to say, I am suing the hospital and MBU because they broke the law several times when it came to my sectioning and then didn’t safeguard me from my Dad who I had made several allegations about in the days leading up to my admission.
Has anyone else been left mentally scarred by their experience of being sectioned?
Written by
GemmaPorter
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I am so sorry to read of your traumatic experience, I think that is exactly the word, traumatic, I wouldn’t wish PP on anyone.
I too experienced it, back in 2016 only three days after our baby was born. I was admitted to an MBU, via A&E and a short (highly supervised) stay on the maternity ward where my symptoms rapidly worsened. I remember much of the experience, BUT I do have gaps too where I just do not know what happened, and have to rely on my husbands memories and the trust he had in the health professionals supporting me.
I had insight to trust what I was being told, that I was very sick. I was evidently not presenting as a well new mummy. Very sadly, admission to hospital was the only option. Whilst I wouldn’t have wanted it, it was very definitely the right thing.
I’m sorry to hear of your experience, and the fact that your family members featured in your illness too. Thats so hard to come to terms with. I hope you’re ok well done for being so brave to write this down, I hope it helps?
I wonder if you’re still under the support of a Perinatal Mental Health Team, who might be able to support you in considering together all that happened to you.
It wasn’t until two years afterwards I was able to go to counselling and have the space and time to discuss what had happened and the fall out, hurt, pain, anger - frankly disbelief and devastation because of what happened. PP is a huge huge trauma. I hope you might find support to help you maybe process what happened?
Don’t forget APP’s peer support including one to one support and cafe groups which you can read about here: app-network.org/get-help/pe...
Thank you for your reply. It definitely had helped me to write everything down. Within four months of being discharged from the MBU I had managed to write my full legal claim. It was very cathartic to do this and allowed me to make sure I had written everything down as I remembered it. I do remember everything that happened during my admission because I genuinely had capacity. My symptoms before I presented were quite minor. I had mania (felt on top of the world!), racing thoughts and I was a bit thought disordered. I had one delusion, that my dad was a paedophile but otherwise I felt fine and was coherent and talking normally. Well, I had enough insight to know I needed help and went to the GP and then A&E on their advice! I was sitting calmly in a private room breastfeeding my baby when the AMHP arrived and then, when I went out into the corridor, I saw both the AMHP and doctors speaking with my parents. Of course, this made me very distressed.. my parents hadn’t even been with me in the days leading up to my visit to A&E so they gave lots of misleading information which formed an incorrect impression of me. They were commenting on my personality rather than my clinical symptoms because they didn’t understand what was happening to me! There’s no question about what happened, I was angry that they had spoken to my parents when I had already reported how I felt about my Dad, they didn’t take my accusation at face value, which they should have done as they didn’t know it wasn’t true. I was clearly diagnosed with a mental health problem from the get go, which only allowed my symptoms to worsen as nobody was treating me with dignity and respect. I just feel like it was pure discrimination what happened to me… and to then not safeguard me from my Dad the next day on the MBU, just ludicrous. Because one of two things was happening… either he actually was a pedo or I was delusional about him and scared of him, so he shouldn’t ever have been allowed into the MBU. It just defies all logic. Clearly how I felt about him was not handed over by the night staff… there were many many other issues on the ward when it came to communication amongst the staff. And it’s a problem they have already acknowledged.
I have got lots of support at the moment, but unfortunately nobody can give me any answers because no one from the perinatal or early intervention teams were there, and my hospital notes do not go into enough detail. I have requested a mediation with the hospitals and hope it may give me some answers.
Were you sectioned when you had PP? Did they tell you your diagnosis, that you were being sectioned and read you your rights (that you can remember)?
Hi GemmaPorter, this sounds like such a traumatic time for you I’m so sorry.
I was sectioned (my family didn’t understand why at the time as I wanted help and agreeing to all their suggestions. But honestly I couldn’t remember that. I was on a psych ward for 10 days, I remember snippets but not much of those days at all, like a whole week of my life I can’t remember. I then went to an MBU and remember seeing my mum and asking if I had been sectioned.
It’s such a difficult one, I HATED my time on psych ward and MBU and certainly wasn’t how I wanted my daughter’s life to start. But deep down I know that the treatment I got helped me in my recovery.
All the best with taking legal action, definitely reach out for support over the experience.
I was hospitalized with delusions and hallucinations and I needed to be there. During the time that I was most sick, I do remember being frustrated with how I was being treated. Even when I felt like I was making perfect sense, I would tell the staff things and it was very obvious they did not believe me, weren’t going to take my opinion into account and were going to do whatever they felt like anyway. I remember there was one physician who would come for his required daily meeting with me, and after about two minutes he would just dismiss me and start to walk out. Finally I told him, “Don’t leave! I have questions I want to ask!” This was really important, because if I asked questions of the nurses, they would just say I had to ask the doctor. And then the doctor wouldn’t give me the time of day! I never had any episodes where I was physically handled, but I saw that happening to other people, and it’s pretty frightening. I’m very sorry you had to experience that and can understand why that still feels traumatic. I hope you have someone to talk to about it, because it will take some processing.
Thank you for sharing your story- so sorry you went through it.I was sectioned in late November 2015 following 2 episodes, during which I don't believe at any point I was a danger to myself or my baby (I was James Bond saving the world...). I vividly remember the police delivering me to a general psych ward and admitting me but I don't remember anyone explaining to me what is going on. I was told to take some pills to go to sleep and that was that.... I don't know how much was explained to me at the time nor would it be any help if they did because I was so manic and delusional.
I do agree with you that the communication and bed side manner of many health professionals in the NHS leaves a lot to be desired.... I ended up having therapy for a long time to recover from APP and throughout the last 9 years, kept working on it to stay well, recognise my triggers and recover from PTSD associated with APP (and other traumas in my life).
Writing has been so cathartic for me too- I can write words a lot better than I can say them.
Wishing you health and thank you again for sharing your story
Thank you for your reply Dora. Sorry to hear of your experience also. Glad you have managed to have the therapy that hopefully has helped you. I am also having therapy but am struggling to shift the feelings of anger when it comes to how I was treated when I was sectioned. I just shouldn’t have been sectioned, it only added to and exasperated my feelings of being unsafe. I absolutely was not a danger to myself or my baby and had already confirmed as much with the GP. It was just so wrong and an abuse of power what they did to me…
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Anyone interested in becoming my PP 'pen-friend'?
Terrifying episode of PPP. 
Reassurance needed
baby removal by social services from a mother
NHS vs. Private
