I wonder when Postpartum Psychosis will…..

[andrea_at_app]

…be no longer referred to as ‘a phenomenon’; an extraordinary, unexplained event that defies explanation?

…be understood? It’s not rare, it can happen to anyone, from any background, any educational level, often out of the blue. Most fully recover & go on to have a regular family life.

…be free from damaging myths & stigma? It doesn't turn women into murderers. It doesn't make us bad mothers. Women with postpartum psychosis rarely harm themselves or their babies.

…be identified early & correctly? Postpartum psychosis is an illness in its own right & has its own challenges & needs. It’s different from postnatal depression.

…be out in the open? When will we be free to discuss it anywhere, at work, at the school gates, without feeling any shame or judgement? When will it be discussed in families & not hidden throughout generations?

…be discussed in antenatal classes? Knowing that such an illness exists & it has a name would have immense impact. Detection would be earlier, treatment would start sooner, fear would be reduced & recovery far smoother.

..be humanised? When will women be referred to as ‘women’ and not ‘cases’? We are not damaged, weird or objects of fascination.

…be represented genuinely in the media? When will articles give a balanced & real view, instead of the constant morbid fascination of the minority, darker experiences?

...be treated correctly? When will pathways into care be a quick & smooth process with health professionals knowing the correct care required, where it is available & how to provide it? When will places in Mother & Baby Units be available to all women with PP to ensure that mothers are not placed in general psychiatric wards & separated from their babies?

...be prevented? When will all pregnant women be screened to find if they’re high risk? When will tests be available, if ever, for all pregnant women to discover if they’re susceptible & precautions can be taken?

…be taken seriously? When will more funding be provided for research & collecting statistics & information to give a clear, full picture & answer so many of the current ‘unknowns’. When will specialist perinatal mental health teams be provided in every area? When will more Mother & Baby Units be opened, rather than closed?

When?

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

Beautiful blog Andrea

I know for me personally, as part of APP I will keep campaigning, blogging, tweeting and speaking out until "I wonder when..." becomes NOW!

x

[sarah_at_app APP]

Well done Andrea!

and like Naomi says we will keep speaking out until "I wonder when" becomes NOW!!

It`s so hard to believe so little is still known about it!

You explained it so well in your blog, Lets hope lots of people read it and attitudes change! x

[vix28]

I hope soon, as much as I wish it didn't happen it does. And it scares me the amount of women who seem to wrongly diagnosed or have a late diagnosis...maybe statistics are higher? My grandmother had PP but as a family we only realised after I had it, she was just hospitalised for a 'break down' after the birth of my dad. X

[andrea_at_app Volunteer]

Hi Vix28, I hope so too! Yes sadly, that's very true about all the times diagnosis is either wrong or delayed. Your blog is lovely by the way, thank you so much for writing it - it's so awful that you've had to endure so much, but lovely to hear you've come through it so srtong! x

[HopeafterPP Volunteer]

Such a fantastic and emotive blog post Andrea! Thank you.

I echo everything you've written and feel it keenly too.

I don't think we can ever do too much for the cause of PP.

Beautiful, poignant photo as well.

N x

[EMTmom4]

Wonderfully written, thank you.

[Lil-D]

Captures my sentiments precisely..... As I am just now (gradually since about Oct 2013) seeing the light at the end of what was a most horrific tunnel of PPD to PPP to deep PPD & PTSD, from the whole ordeal with the onset of the PPP & PPD having begun in late July/Aug 2012. My daughter was born 8 months prior in November 2011. My postpartum illness did not surface until I was 7 1/2 to 8 months postpartum, basically right after I stopped nursing. I never even knew what happened to me/my brain could even happen to someone. You hear a little about PPD happening would think it barely happens at all based on how little is said by doctors and other professionals during prenatal care visits and classes. Let alone that there was absolutely NO mention of "postpartum psychosis" happening. I THANK GOD for my loving husband and family (including in-laws) for loving me and supporting us as we fought this horrific physical/mental affliction. Though I am not sure I want to, I could most definitely write a book with numerous chapters as to how debilitating this condition is and the many branches of life that it affects for not only the woman/mom's suffering from mood/personality to brain malfunction to the effects on the family as a whole. I THANK GOD for His love, healing, and hope, and I pray that He will use my horrific experience to bring hope to other women and their families who might go through something similar. Though I have spoke to a handful of other women who either have gone through some type of similar postpartum illness themselves or know someone who has, I personally have yet to find a woman whose illness was as severe or as lengthy as mine was (aside from something as tragic as a death resulting from the illness, as I know that has occurred in association with postpartum illness.) I am so thankful God had my family catch on when they did before my illness led to something worse.