Worried

[Concernedfriend7]

I saw a friend I hadn't seen for a while yesterday, to cut a very long story short she described some frightening delusions and paranoia, she had a baby in August and she told me she hadn't told anyone what she thinks is going on. I am very scared of doing the wrong thing and alienating her and I really want to get her some help. I can't send her messages on her phone because she thinks her partner is tapping her phone and drugging her. She is describing insomnia where she hasn't slept for 13 days, overhearing conversation that sound like sleep paralysis delusions. She's scared of telling the doctor she is suffering as she thinks her child will be taken from her and that she'll be raped if she goes to hospital. She is living in a in little village and is very isolated. I don't know her partner well enough to speak to him.

[PNI-Admin Partner Volunteer PNI ORG UK]

Welcome Concernedfriend7!

I'm sorry your friend has been suffering from these symptoms and you quite rightly have remarked these symptoms must be very distressing for your friend. It sounds like she has manged to hide what she is feeling - often with postpartum psychosis the symptoms are so severe they are impossible to hide, but nonetheless it is extremely concerning that she is suffering from psychotic symptoms.

The good news is that with help your friend will recover. Clearly, she really trusts you which is positive that she has shared her symptoms with you.

I will post some links below - maybe you could get your friend to have a look? Possibly you can tell her you've been reading up on post natal illness and have come across this and think that she may have it. It is thought that 1/5 of women suffer from post natal illness with differing symptoms so it is extremely common.

nhs.uk/mental-health/condit...

We have a website you can access with a forum.

pni.org.uk/

The website below is excellent for support for post natal psychosis. Do have a look.

app-network.org/

Maybe you could suggest you would go with her to her gp for advice? Or that you could mention to her husband how she is feeling.

As for Social Services intervention, they only remove children in rare cases when there is a serious risk. This does not sound like the case with your friend. They also offer support, which many people don't realise and even if strategies are put in place they are designed to help mums and their families get through difficult times.

You're a very good friend to be suporting your firend in this hour of need and often just knowing that there is one person there to listen can make a huge difference.

Please keep talking

Monica