I think it’s very important to talk about this condition that not everyone is aware of – postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis is when psychosis occurs sometime after a woman gives birth, it’s a separate condition from postpartum depression. Below I have posted links to several stories of postpartum psychosis. One important message stated was that a woman would likely not be aware that she is suffering from psychosis. The delusions/hallucinations that occur during psychosis feel very real to the patient. If a woman had never experienced psychosis before and maybe even was not aware of existence of postpartum psychosis, it would be quite difficult for her to understand in that state that what she is experiencing is not real and is a serious medical condition.
I think it’s very useful for everyone to hear these stories below and to be aware what are the symptoms. During psychosis the person can have auditory hallucinations, hear voices, they can also feel that objects/people are sending them messages. In one of the stories a woman described how during her psychotic episode she heard voices coming from the radiator and thought that different colours were sending her messages. Insomnia can also be a symptom of psychosis and can exacerbate the lack of sleep caused by having a new born, and lack of sleep in turn can exacerbate psychotic symptoms. Another woman tells her story of how she started to see her mom, who actually passed away. She also hallucinated a man in her house who she thought was planning to kill her. Manic symptoms can also occur such as believing that there is a divine intervention and you are now being able to know things that others can’t, believing that you can achieve anything such as learning a language overnight, as well as rapid speech and sleeping only a few hours a day.
Postpartum psychosis – Katy’s story
Notes of a Neuropsychiatry Amateur 