Perinatal Psychosis (Pregnancy, Post-Loss, and Postpartum)
Postpartum Psychosis (PP), also known as Perinatal Psychosis, is a serious PMH disorder that usually has an onset in the first 2 weeks (but up to a year). Postpartum Psychosis occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries.
Postpartum Psychosis is temporary and treatable with professional help, but it is an emergency, and it is essential that the perinatal individual receive immediate help. It is important to stay with the perinatal individual and the child to ensure everyone’s safety.
If you feel you or someone you know may be suffering from this illness, know that no one is at fault or to blame, and a diagnosis is not needed to reach out for help.
In an Emergency/If you suspect Postpartum Psychosis
- National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-Mama)
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988
Symptoms
Symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis can include:
- Delusions or strange beliefs
- Hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that aren’t there)
- Feeling very agitated
- Hyperactivity or having more energy than usual
- Severe depression or lack of emotion
- Decreased need for or inability to sleep
- Paranoia and suspiciousness
- Rapid mood swings
- Difficulty communicating at times
For more information about symptoms of postpartum psychosis, you can download the PP Discussion Tool. Immediate treatment for someone going through psychosis is imperative.
Call your doctor or an emergency crisis hotline right away to get the help you need.
Risk Factors
The most significant risk factor for Postpartum Psychosis is a personal or family history of bipolar disorder or a previous psychotic episode. It may also include prolonged lack of sleep (for instance, going days without any sleep).
Prevalance Rates
Postpartum Psychosis is a serious perinatal mental health disorder and medical emergency that occurs in about 1 to 2 of every 1,000 perinatal individuals.
Treatment Options
The majority of individuals who experience Postpartum Psychosis do not harm themselves or anyone else. However, there is always the risk of danger because psychosis includes delusional thinking and irrational judgment. It is important to stay with the perinatal individual and the child to ensure everyone’s safety. Call your doctor or an emergency crisis hotline right away to get the help you need.
- Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 833-852-6262. Hotline Counselors are available to discuss and explore next steps for you and your loved one. Available 24/7, in the United States only.
- Intensive Treatment Facilities are available and are listed here.
After inpatient psychiatric treatment:
After emergency treatment, those individuals who have experienced Postpartum Psychosis should be followed by a doctor and therapist to continue treatment, including medication and ongoing therapy. PSI hosts peer support groups for Postpartum Psychosis survivors and those affected. Additional resources are available here.
Postpartum Psychosis Discussion Tool
This Postpartum Psychosis Discussion Tool has been created by those with lived and learned experience. It is designed to help providers and loved ones determine if someone could be experiencing the symptoms of postpartum psychosis and would need or benefit from additional care. This tool is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Download the Discussion Tool Here
Postpartum Psychosis Fact Sheet
The Postpartum Psychosis Fact Sheet includes brief descriptions of what it is, who is at higher risk, the symptoms, and what to do. Available in English and Spanish.
Download Here
PSI Programs & Services
Call or Text our HelpLine
1-800-944-4773 (4PPD) #1 En Español or #2 English
Text in English: 800-944-4773
Text en Español: 971-203-7773
The HelpLine will provide you with support and resources. You will be asked to leave a confidential message and a trained and caring volunteer will return your call or text.
Support Groups
PSI has over 50 specialized support groups to meet your needs.
Lived Experience Specialists
PSI has a small team of Postpartum Psychosis survivors who are available to provide additional assistance to individuals and their families who are not in an emergency situation, but seeking support and information related to Postpartum Psychosis.
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Helpful Resources & Links
Learn More
- PSI Zoom Webinar: Slaying the Monstrous Misconceptions About Postpartum Psychosis: A Roundtable Discussion
- Postpartum Psychosis MCPAP Webinar
- Postpartum Psychosis: 4 High-Yield Clinical Cases
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)* Free consultations to medical providers caring for patients with postpartum psychosis.
- MGH Postpartum Psychosis Project* A national research project on postpartum psychosis.
- Action on Postpartum Psychosis A U.K. network composed of women who have experienced psychosis or bipolar disorder in relation to childbirth. This site includes many helpful resources.
Read Stories
This list includes resources published within the past 5 years. For a more extensive list of resources, please click here.
Books (in order of most recent release date):
- Alvi, Aaisha. A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis. Dundurn Press, September 24, 2024.
- Beeston, Ariane. Because I’m Not Myself, You See: A memoir of motherhood, madness, & coming back from the brink. Black Ink, 2024.
- Ekhoff, Jessica. Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of Mania. New Degree Press, 2023.
- Wight, Jen. Rattled: Overcoming Postpartum Psychosis. Trigger Publishing, 2022.
- Dockrill, Laura. What Have I Done? Motherhood, Mental Illness, & Me. Vintage, 2021.
Personal Essays and Blogs (in order of most recent release date):
- Dr. Barbara Decker* As a neurologist, I know the brain. Then my postpartum psychosis began.
- Dr. Rowena Winkler* Letters from My Postpartum Psychosis.
- Meghan Cliffel* and Susan Hatters Friedman. Tragic or Treated: Why We Cannot Miss Postpartum Psychosis. Psychiatric Times, March 7, 2025.
- Tomasi, Patricia. My Psychotic Break, Toronto Life, March 26, 2024 (includes interview with Nancy DiNuzzo*)
- Alvi, Aaisha. A Voice In My Head Told Me My Daughter Needed to Die. Multiple Doctors Sent Me Home Anyway, HuffPost, May 23, 2023.
Hear from Survivors
This list includes resources published within the past 5 years. For a more extensive list of resources, please click here.
I Am One Podcasts:
- Kriti Lodha*–I Am One in 1,000 Turning Pain into Purpose after Postpartum Psychosis
I Am One Podcast, September 10, 2024 - JESSICA EKHOFF: I Am One Recovered Super Sad Unicorn (PPP, Mania, Bipolar I)
I Am One Podcast, April 18, 2023 - JIGYNA PATEL: I Am One Undiagnosed Postpartum Psychosis Survivor (PPA, PPD, Psychosis) I Am One Podcast, March 21, 2023
Additional Podcasts and Interviews:
- What Should We All Know About Postpartum Psychosis? With Meghan Cliffel and Kriti Lodha.” So Glad you Asked with Ruta Nonacs and Allie Hales, MGH Center for Women’s Mental Health. Season 2, Episode 6.
- Perinatal OCD & Psychosis: Breaking Down the Stereotypes with Insights from Lived Experience, Featuring: Allison Livingston, Jess Pierson, and Julia Alzoubaidi — 2025
- Podcast: Mom Breaks: Science and Stories of Postpartum Psychosis
- A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis with Aaisha Alvi
Mom and Mind Podcast, Ep 394 - Cleveland mother and a psychiatrist discuss postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health (Meghan Cliffel*)
- Postpartum Psychosis: A Couple’s Experience with Dr. Rowena and Derek Winkler*
Mom and Mind Podcast, Ep 324 March 11, 2024 - Bodies: The Fourth Trimester (Jess Pierson*) May 31, 2023
Get Involved
- MGH Postpartum Psychosis Project* A new national research project on postpartum psychosis.
- Postpartum Psychosis Taskforce A PSI Taskforce that focuses on Postpartum Psychosis advocacy
Resources with * denote a member (current or former) of PSI’s Postpartum Psychosis Taskforce.
