Duration of illness

[Ozymandias0_1]

my wife has had previous spells that have lasted a long time - she has had symptoms for 3 weeks, anti psychotics for 2 weeks and has been in hospital for 1 week - how long could this last?

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

Hi Ozy

This is a really tricky one to answer. The majority of women find that, with the right medical treatment, the psychosis phase is relatively short (weeks rather than months). I would say from people's experience here that most Mother & Baby Unit stays are no longer than 10-12 weeks and can be much shorter. I was an inpatient for 3 weeks and then had intensive home support in the community from a Mental Health worker (twice weekly visits for a month and then weekly for our first 6 months).

A poll we ran recently suggests that the vast majority of women feel fully recovered by the time baby is 18 months old. Again, for some mums this is much sooner. Our research shows that women treated in a Mother & Baby Unit tend to feel recovered sooner, as they have maintained more confidence with their newborn and their inpatient treatment has helped to keep both their own recovery and their bond with baby in mind.

The best thing at this stage is to know that your wife is being moved to the best place for a good standard of treatment. It's early days. Keep talking to the staff on the phone and they will give you their perceptions of improvement day-to-day. Be assured they want to get her home & your family reunited as soon as she is well enough.

N

[HopeafterPP Volunteer]

Hi Ozy,

I don't have any more to add to the answer Naomi gave you but just wanted to say so sorry to hear your wife is suffering from this awful illness. And of course you suffer too. I know it was equally hard for my husband when I was ill. I was treated on an acute psychiatric ward without my baby, but the mother and baby unit is by far the best place for a mum to receive treatment. I hope you don't have too far to travel. There are so few units in the UK so it's a bit of a lottery whether there is one near where you live or not.

My family and I were eager to know the answer to your question too, and as Naomi says it is hard. It took me around 16 or so months to feel fully recovered (back to my normal self) but coming out of the initial stage of psychosis for me was relatively quick, it lasted around 3 weeks. I was back home with my family after 3 full weeks in hospital and then I was cared for intensively by the community team for about a month. After that, I had fantastic care from the Early Intervention in Psychosis team who not only looked after me, but were also there for my husband too. I hope that the teams looking after your wife can be a support to you too. Please don't be afraid to ask if you need support - I can only imagine how tough it must be on the other side looking in at your partner so poorly.

Recovery can seem slow, but your wife will come out of this. I'm glad you have found this forum and the wonderful team of women, partners and family members on here who are happy to help in anyway they can.

Natasha

[Lilybeth Volunteer]

Hello Ozy, I can't really answer how long it will take for your wife to be well again and return home. I think recovery is different for all of us who have been on the PP journey. My own experiences go back to the early 70's and 80's, before mother and baby units and I was on another planet for quite a while.

Rest assured, however long it takes, your wife will recover. Although it seems a lot for you to cope with, she needs to be in the care of the professionals for the time being. So keep in touch with them regarding her progress and look forward to the day when you will all be at home, together, as a family.

[Ozymandias0_1]

Thanks Lilybeth

I can only assume it was a nightmare for you in a time where I suspect we were less knowledgeable and enlightened about this condition - I am so sorry that wasn't there and glad you got through it as I hope my wife will

[Lilybeth Volunteer in reply to Ozymandias0_1]

Hi Ozy

Thank you. Both episodes were a nightmare in that my psychosis took over and I lost my way for a while. I have to say it must have been worse for my family seeing me in such a place, so I understand how concerned you are about your wife. However, with medical attention I recovered, slowly but surely, as your wife will.