Short Story

Postpartum Psychosis: Mind Games of Mothers

First I heard this phrase from my relative one who started suffering from postpartum depression right after giving birth to her first child. One evening, when I came to visit her, she was doing the dishes in the kitchen and talking to me about the depression and emotional negative feelings new mothers may encounter in the very first days or months after delivering a baby. She seemed to be desperate when talking about it…

At that particular moment, I was looking at her, a strong but fatigue woman with sleepy eyes, and thought that it is simply impossible for a woman who just delivered a baby to experience any type of psychological problems. As I naively thought, the typical new mother does not have time for these “mental things”, as she is a full-time mom occupied with household chores and newborn baby care all day long. And if she got any free time after completing all housework, she has to sleep. “Just try to get a good sleep”, I advised her…

However, this disease’s name came to my ears again a couple of years after that evening talk. As I know now, postpartum psychosis is a rare disease, a mental disorder that impacts women who recently gave birth. But this one is completely different from postpartum depression. In particular, it can completely disrupt the psychological and physical health of the mother if not recognized in a timely manner and not properly treated.

I did not mean to write this story like a medical article, as I am not a doctor and do not have any medical background. However, what pushed me to start thinking about this topic are personal memories based on the experience of my relative who recovered from postnatal depression and the dramatic histories of women, who were honest and strong enough to reveal their past mental health issues related to postpartum psychosis to the public.

Here are some significant reasons to talk about this disease:

First, to let anyone know about the symptoms and consequences of the disease;

Secondly, so that mothers and their surroundings are aware of the mental risks in the way of bearing and giving birth to a child, as well as after delivery;

Finally, to protect children from their mothers suffering from postpartum psychosis, who may not be in control of their actions at the time of emotional crisis.

There is no clear evidence why the disease affects a particular woman after childbirth. However, important factors leading to emotional distress can be psychological trauma suffered in childhood or any abuse experienced in the past. In other words, any serious and deep emotional collapse in the past can exhaust and severely affect pregnant women. After childbirth, if the mother’s mood changes very often, the disease definitely tends to progress. An unstable mood can be caused by imbalanced hormone levels before and after pregnancy, as the female body goes through complex recovery processes after delivery. Excessive worry about every little thing and event in daily life makes mothers emotionally hyperactive but physically weak.

A mother who could potentially have postpartum psychosis may feel sad, tired, anxious, and unable to sleep. Sometimes excessive anxiety can lead to strong emotional attacks, hallucinations, and sometimes severe headaches. All these factors, in turn, can provoke agitation, suspiciousness, and constant mood swings. Finally, a mother with such conflicting feelings and emotional swings becomes unpredictable. The further, the more the woman becomes very suspicious of her actions and loses the sense of the difference between the real world and the inner mental world that keeps her captive. At some point, mothers begin to hear inner voices to kill their babies.

…Imagine an unmade bed with a baby lying on dirty sheets. The baby is almost naked and screams loudly because she is hungry and cold. On the other side of the bed lies a woman with long, loose black hair. She turned away from the child. The woman seems passive, and apathetic to everything that happens around her. She is lost in her dreams and feelings. After nearly 2 hours of continuous crying, the baby is weakened and finally falls asleep. The mother remains still, she cannot tell how long she has been lying like that. Time has stopped for her. As the room gets quiet, the woman closes her eyes. However, with what little rest of clear consciousness she still has, she realizes that all she wants at the moment is to stop hearing the screams of this “thing” and the inner voices in her head whispering to her: “Go do it. It thinks you are not a good mom.”

This is the very last, critical moment when the mother must admit that strange thoughts come to her mind, and be strong enough to tell about her false perceptions to those around her, family members, partner, husband, and whoever she trusts. She should ask everyone who can understand her situation and help her to take the baby from her and put him in a safe place. Soon after that, the mother should be seen by the doctors. Unfortunately, it is obvious that not every mother will be able to recognize these mind games and not go crazy when any voice or action of her child causes her such a lot of anger and anxiety.

There are several cases of postpartum psychosis, which ended in the death of children. Some mothers, having committed an act of infanticide, tried to commit suicide, as they could not cope with the loss of their little loved ones. At this stage of the disease, mothers do not believe that they can overcome the consequences and change what happened. This is a turning point when the status of the person who gives life changes to the one who takes it.

Is it curable?

Yes, it is. In the case of an urgent appeal to doctors for help, a correct diagnosis, and support from relatives, the mother could successfully recover from the disease. However, it is important that the mother and the people around her be extremely attentive to her emotional state during and after treatment. The mother and her companions should be prepared for a series of regular check-ups with doctors. As part of psychological support, a mother should have someone she trusts by her side so that she does not feel alone and abandoned after all that she has been through.

Mothers who are stuck in the mind games of their inner world and for some reason abandoned by their family members and friends should evoke compassion and help. Who would have thought, but most mental problems arise due to loneliness, trauma, and so many other reasons. Everyone needs sympathy, no matter the circumstances. It would be better if sympathy and help came long before all is lost…

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/postpartum-psychosis-overview

What leads mothers to kill their children? | DW Documentary (True crime documentary) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0DqsflQbk0

https://www.disorders.org/personality-disorders/postpartum-psychosis/ Start writing here…