What Are Symptoms Of Postpartum Psychosis & Its Treatment

January 17 2024 TalktoAngel 0 comments 794 Views

Postpartum psychosis: What is it?

After giving birth, some people have postpartum psychosis (PPP), a serious but treatable mental illness. Although this illness is uncommon, it is equally harmful.

What signs might indicate postpartum psychosis?

The two primary signs of psychosis have an impact on a person's perception of reality and their comprehension of their environment. As follows:

Hallucinations. A hallucination is when your brain simulates input from your senses—typically your eyes or ears, though touch hallucinations can also occur—without really receiving any such input. You can't distinguish whether what you see or hear is real or a hallucination since what you experience feels real.

Delusions. Delusions are untrue ideas or beliefs you cling to tenaciously and are not shakable. In the event you have a delusion, you hold these beliefs so firmly that you won't let go of them, even if you are presented with compelling proof to the contrary. Examples of delusions include persecutory delusions (thinking someone is trying to harm you), control delusions (thinking someone is in charge of your body), and somatic delusions (believing you are not pregnant or had a kid).

Additional signs and symptoms of postpartum psychosis include:

Mood swings like mania (increased activity and mood) hypomania (lower activity and mood), or depression (a decrease in mood).

Depersonalization (some people describe this as an out-of-body experience) (some people describe this as an out-of-body experience).

Unorganized thoughts or actions.

Insomnia.

Agitation or irritability.

Thoughts of killing someone (especially their newborn) or self-harm.

Sorting the symptoms into categories

Researchers classify PPP symptoms into three categories:

Depressive.
Manic.
Atypical/mixed.
Depression signs

With 41% of cases, the depressed subtype of PPP is the most prevalent. Additionally, it's the most risky. According to research, psychosis, and depressive symptoms, particularly hallucinations or delusions that direct a person to hurt their child or themselves, are virtually always contributing factors in cases involving self-harm or injury to a child. This subtype has a rate of child damage that is roughly four to five times higher than the other subtypes at 4.5%. Suicide deaths occur at a rate of roughly 5%.

Symptoms associated with this kind are most frequently:

Panic or Anxiety.

Hallucinations and delusions.

Depression.

A sense of guilt.

Decrease in appetite.

Loss of enjoyment involving activities they typically like (anhedonia).

Suicidal ideations, harm to their child, or self-harm in their minds.

A manic episode

With roughly 34% of instances, this kind is the second most prevalent. Self-harm and harm to children is less likely but conceivable; they occur in roughly 1% of instances.

These signs include:

Irritation or anger.

Violent or disruptive behavior.

Speaking more or more quickly than usual (or both).

Less sleep is required.

Illusions of superiority or significance (such as believing your child to be a holy or religious figure).

Unusual or mixed symptoms

In around 25% of instances, this subtype is present. This may combine manic and depressed subtype characteristics. There may also be signs when a person appears to be much less aware of their surroundings or to be entirely unconcerned.

These signs include:

Speaking or acting incoherently.

Perplexity or disorientation.

Consciousness disturbance occurs when a person doesn't seem awake or aware of adjacent actions or events.

Delusions or hallucinations.

Inappropriate remarks, actions, or emotional outbursts.

Mutatism or catatonia (being silent).

Is there a treatment for postpartum psychosis, and if so, what is it?

Treatment for postpartum psychosis is possible, and various methods may be effective. Unfortunately, there is little study on managing this illness due to its rarity. Although some techniques are widely used, additional research is required before professionals can determine the most effective ways to treat this ailment.

PPP patients require inpatient mental healthcare because it is a mental health emergency. With this type of care, qualified medical personnel remain by their side constantly to ensure their safety and comfort.

Voluntarily entering a hospital

PPP alters one's perception of reality; hence many PPP sufferers are utterly ignorant that they have a mental health or medical condition. The fact that delusions and hallucinations may actually make individuals scared to seek help further complicates the situation.

Because of these factors, PPP inpatient mental healthcare is virtually always required. This indicates that the PPP patient rarely decides to accept care. Instead, a loved one's hospitalization must be decided by family, friends, or other close relatives. This is only a possibility if there is cause to think a person might pose a threat to oneself or others.

Treatment strategies

The following are some potential treatments:

1. Medications.

2. Electroshock treatment (ECT).

3. Medications

PPP may benefit from a wide variety of drug types. The types consist of:

Medicine that is antipsychotic.
Stabilizers of mood.
Anti-seizure medication.
Lithium.
Electroshock treatment

A safe and extremely efficient way of treating diseases involving psychosis is electroconvulsive treatment (ECT). To cause a minor seizure, a small electrical current is passed through your brain during this procedure. The effects of that seizure alter brain function in a way that lessens or eliminates PPP's benefits.

Because of its gruesome representations in literature, television, and film, ECT frequently has a bad reputation. However, ECT is performed when the patient is unconscious and under general anesthetic, so they won't experience any pain or suffering.

When the patient is dozing off, medical professionals will attach electrodes to their head to conduct an electrical current through their scalp and skull and into a certain region of their brain. These epileptic episodes often last under two minutes, and a medical professional can utilize an injectable medicine to end a prolonged epileptic episode. After an ECT procedure, most people awaken within 15 minutes and can be up and moving around in 30 minutes.

Treatment complications/side consequences

Many variables, including the therapies you receive and the symptoms you experience, can have an impact on the potential consequences and side effects. Because of this, the best person to inform you of the dangers, issues, or side effects you can or should anticipate is your healthcare professional.

Contributed By- Dr. (Prof) R.K Suri & Ms. Varshini Nayyar