Has anybody just suffered from psycho... - Action on Postpar...
Has anybody just suffered from psychosis without the depressive element?
I only ever suffered from mania, I feel very fortunate not to have experienced the black depression so many ladies describe. Once the mania subsided I was left with quite bad anxiety but I don't really know how much if that was my illness and how much was the nerves that can come with being a new mum.
It's lovely to hear I'm not the only one. When I was recovering in the MBU I felt quite alone.
I am still overcome by the mania which I experienced. Everything subsequently has been a bit of let down. My depression was of the grey, monotonous variety. And largely to do with me suppressing my feelings for fear of going manic again. Anxiety is still part of me ... but it is getting better.
Which MBU were you in and how long did you spend in there? I was in Birmingham for 5 weeks and I have to say the care I got was fantastic, unfortunately I also had to spend a week in a general psychiatric ward and the care in there was far from satisfactory.
I was in Stafford for four weeks and I should be more grateful than I am. They couldn't manage me in the MBU and for about a week I was placed in another ward without my baby. I think I was very difficult during PP but I don't remember much. My memory now seems to be worse than before too.
I was much the same as hel212000 it took about a year to fully get over the anxiety but I was very lucky not yo experience the depression.
I have been diagnosed as bipolar and am scared that I might experience the depressive side of the illness -it's not happened yet. I struggle to read accounts of depression I find it so scarey. I felt very anxious after my second episode and worried about meeting people and my inability to interact with them, I blamed it all on my medication.
I had massive mania, running round and screaming, throwing things, "challenging" to staff, very hyper, not sleeping, racing and bizarre thoughts etc. Like others described here, I was very anxious too. When I was recovering in the MBU and preparing to go home for Christmas, my anxiety overcame me and I took backwards steps, worrying about anything and everything to a massive extent. Long and short of it was that I had an overnight leave home but didn't make discharge til January sadly. I don't think I've ever felt really depressed and remember being asked this in hospital on a daily basis (along with the "do you want to kill yourseld or your baby" question). But I lost all my confidence and that took a long time to get back and really feel myself again. I too fear becoming manic again. When busy at work with lots going on or something I hate it when someone will say "it's really manic at the moment isn't it"- no, it's really not. I do think I felt down and struggled to get back to some sort of reality. Perhaps mild depression caused by the knock to my confidence. The deep depths of depression must be awful to go through and coming out the other end is something we should all be really proud of.
I did not experience depression until after postpartum psychosis struck. The guilt and shame I felt led to depression but I never had depressive symptoms prior to onset. Postpartum psychosis can often lead to depression at some point during recovery.
