You are here: Home » After the Birth » Postpartum Psychosis
Information on postpartum psychosis (psychosis after childbirth), with links to other useful resources.
Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that can affect someone soon after having a baby. It affects around 1 in 1,000 mothers after giving birth.
Many people who have given birth will experience mild mood changes after having a baby, known as the "baby blues". This is normal and usually only lasts for a few days.
But postpartum psychosis is very different from the "baby blues". It's a serious mental illness and should be treated as a medical emergency.
It's sometimes called puerperal psychosis or postnatal psychosis.
Symptoms usually start suddenly within the first 2 weeks after giving birth - often within hours or days of giving birth. More rarely, they can develop several weeks after the baby is born.
Symptoms can include:
Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental illness that should be treated as a medical emergency. It can get worse rapidly and the illness can risk the safety of the mother and baby.
See a GP immediately if you think you, or someone you know, may have developed symptoms of postpartum psychosis. You should request an urgent assessment on the same day.
You can call 111 if you cannot speak to a GP or do not know what to do next. Your midwife or health visitor may also be able to help you access care.
Call your crisis team if you already have a care plan because you've been assessed as being at high risk of developing postpartum psychosis.
Go to A&E or call 999 if you think you, or someone you know, may be in danger of imminent harm.
Be aware that if you have postpartum psychosis, you may not realise you're ill. Your partner, family or friends may spot the signs and have to take action.
Treatment usually happens in hospital. Ideally, this would be with your baby in a specialist psychiatric unit called a mother and baby unit (MBU). But you may be admitted to a general psychiatric ward until an MBU is available.
Most people with postpartum psychosis make a full recovery as long as they receive the right treatment.
You may be prescribed 1 or more of the following:
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is sometimes recommended if all other treatment options have failed, or when the situation is thought to be life threatening.
As you move forward with your recovery, you may benefit from seeing a therapist for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). CBT is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.
It can be hard to come to terms with the experience of postpartum psychosis as you recover.
Talking to peers and others with lived experience of the illness may be helpful. Some inpatient units and communities have peer support workers who have experienced the illness, and you can also access support through charities.
Action on Postpartum Psychosis offers online chat or in-person meetings to support those affected by postpartum psychosis.
It's not clear what causes postpartum psychosis, but you're more at risk if you:
If you're at high risk of developing postpartum psychosis, you should have specialist care during or before pregnancy and be seen by a perinatal psychiatrist.
You should have a pre-birth planning meeting at around 32 weeks of pregnancy with everyone involved in your care. This includes your partner, family or friends, mental health professionals, your midwife, obstetrician, health visitor and GP.Â
This is to make sure that everyone is aware of your risk of postpartum psychosis. You should all agree on a plan for your care during pregnancy and after you've given birth.
You'll get a written copy of your care plan explaining how you and your family can get help quickly if you become ill, as well as strategies you can use to reduce your risk of becoming ill.
In the first few weeks after your baby is born, you should have regular home visits from a midwife, health visitor and mental health nurse.
The most severe symptoms tend to last 2 to 12 weeks, and it can take 6 to 12 months or more to recover completely from the condition. But with treatment and the right support, most people with postpartum psychosis do make a full recovery.
An episode of postpartum psychosis is sometimes followed by a period of depression, anxiety and low confidence. It might take a while for you to come to terms with what happened.Â
Some mothers have difficulty bonding with their baby after an episode of postpartum psychosis, or feel some sadness at missing out on time with their baby. With support from your partner, family, friends and your mental health team, or talking to others with lived experience, you can overcome these feelings.
Many people who've had postpartum psychosis go on to have more children. Although there is about a 1 in 2 chance you will have another episode after a future pregnancy, you should be able to get help quickly with the right care and the risks can be reduced with appropriate interventions.
Postpartum psychosis can have a big impact on your life, but support is available.
It might help to speak to others who've had the same condition, or connect with a charity.
You may find the following links useful:
Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) have produced a series of guides with the help of women who have experienced postpartum psychosis.
These guides cover topics such as:
There is also an APP forum, where you can connect with others affected by postpartum psychosis.
People with postpartum psychosis will need support to help them with their recovery.
You can help your partner, relative or friend by:
Postpartum psychosis can be distressing for partners, relatives and friends, too.Â
If your partner, relative or friend is going through an episode of postpartum psychosis or recovering, do not be afraid to get help yourself.
Talk to a mental health professional or get help from Action on Postpartum Psychosis for dads and co-parents or grandparents.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has information and advice for partners, family and friends.
It's important to continue taking any medication prescribed unless your GP/specialist specifically tells you to stop. Please visit our Existing Health Conditions page for more information, or visit 'Bumps' ('Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy').
Your choices will be saved as a non-identifying cookie. This means that each time you load a webpage from this website, your chosen accessibility options will be applied. These cookies will last for 28 days before resetting.
When text to speech is active, you can click the play button to hear the whole sites content read aloud. You can also highlight a section of text and press play, to hear only the highlighted text.
Choose a language from the Google provided selector below.
A screen mask is a reading tool which follows your cursor. It allows you to remove distractions from around the page and gives a clear area of focus.
Use these icons to increase, decrease or reset the size of the text throughout the site.
Change the colour of text and the background of the site with the selectors below. This removes images and makes the content across the site easier to read.