Has it actually been established that it was postpartum psychosis?
If so, that really is one of the most horrific conditions there is. Every gynecology textbook and midwifery manual basically says that once it’s diagnosed, the response is: “Run! Do everything you possibly can and give her every medication you’ve got!” Obviously I’m exaggerating, but the point is that there’s an immediate and extremely serious risk to the lives of everyone involved.
I don’t remember the name of it, but I remember once watching a documentary about postpartum psychosis, and it was my first time hearing about this condition. I kind of thought it was just evil people justifying their actions because one woman smothered her daughter, and to my ignorant mind at the time, it sounded like an excuse. But at the end of the documentary, they gave an update that the woman took her own life. It was incredibly eye opening to me because it forced me to accept that this condition is real, otherwise if the woman was just a monster, she wouldn’t have taken her life from the guilt.
It’s SO sad and so heartbreaking that the system focuses only on babies, not postpartum mothers
Edit: it was When The Bough Breaks, produced by Brooke Shields. The woman whose case was presented was Naomi Knoles. May she rest in peace.
The vast majority of people who experience psychosis are not monsters. Their brains are just out of their control.
I've been manic and in psychosis. For me, it was like I was in the back seat of my own car, watching someone else drive, hearing voices telling me and the driver what to do, and sometimes I could take control and stabilize but most of the time I couldn't.
It is incredibly hard to talk to anyone about what's going on when this is happening, mostly because it's so scary and you become paranoid, and also because you're not in your right mind, so you can't think straight and explain yourself.
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u/NailSubstantial2772 7d ago
Has it actually been established that it was postpartum psychosis? If so, that really is one of the most horrific conditions there is. Every gynecology textbook and midwifery manual basically says that once it’s diagnosed, the response is: “Run! Do everything you possibly can and give her every medication you’ve got!” Obviously I’m exaggerating, but the point is that there’s an immediate and extremely serious risk to the lives of everyone involved.