142: Postpartum Psychosis: After a Tragedy

Today I’m speaking from the mind and heart about some topics that have been at the forefront of my thoughts regarding recent postpartum tragedies in the news and in our community. It’s a devastating reality every time mothers and babies are lost due to postpartum mental health issues--and we’ve got to do more to help.  Show Highlights:   The split that may occur between people who blame postpartum depression or psychosis and people who vilify the mothers who have done something terrible These tragedies highlight the severe lack of information and understanding about postpartum psychosis Why people who aren’t well shouldn’t be tasked to heal themselves alone  How we fail these moms multiple times during a very intense time of transformation in their lives How are these moms and their families getting help and finding community support? Why most of society is uneducated about how bad the postpartum mood disorders can get How our laws treat women through the legal process after a tragedy occurs What these women go through while in jail or a psych unit---do they get the help they need there? Why it’s a delicate balance between healthcare, legal, social services, housing, witnesses, neighbors, first responders, medical teams, hospitals, and more The road to recovery for families is a long process that could have been prevented in the first place Why information and resources need to be available to everyone Why we need to normalize postpartum mental health issues and show the reality, and not just put the “social media spin” on them Why it’s easy to feel hopeless about the situation--and how we are failing these mothers The hard part: the help doesn’t always get to the people who need it most How can we build a better safety net?   Resources:   Email me with your thoughts: [email protected]   Get help and information at www.postpartum.net