It has been reported that maternal suicide is the leading cause of death during pregnancy and the first year after birth. This is why the current shift in attention toward greater awareness to maternal mental health is urgently necessary and long overdue. We are just scratching the surface, and have far to go, but this momentum toward improved care and education can […]
Suicide is a scary word and if you work in the mental health field it is a word that conjures up panic in the hearts of dedicated professionals who are trying hard to support, enlighten, inform and protect individuals who might be tormented or tempted by the distorted lure of an end to their suffering. […]
Postpartum depression and anxiety are getting tons of attention in the media. From catastrophic accounts of misdiagnosed psychotic episodes, and an increase in state legislative action, to emerging research, as well as an explosion of passion-driven personal narratives from women who have recovered. All of this translates into greater awareness and activity in research, in clinical […]
Postpartum Psychosis Emergency Room Guidelines You cannot afford to miss this diagnosis. Postpartum psychosis occurs in approximately 1-2 out of every 1,000 deliveries. The clinical onset is rapid, with symptoms occurring as early as the first 48 to 72 hours postpartum, although the majority of episodes develop within the first 2 weeks after delivery. Postpartum psychosis is […]
So we’ve all read the top ten lists of how to survive the holidays. Even the PPSC came up with a list of how to find your holiday brave. It’s all over the Internet. Everyone has their own suggestions for what to do, what not to do, and how to do it. Sometimes these common […]
SUICIDE ASSESSMENT FOR A POSITIVE EPDS SCREEN (#10) Are you asking the hard questions? Do not make the mistake of thinking that she looks too good to be that sick. Every single woman who walks into your office could be having thoughts of hurting herself. Regardless of how she looks, what she says, how she […]
Every time a young mother and/or her child(ren) dies tragically, we rally to raise awareness. The media scrambles for experts who sometimes purport accurate explanations and sometimes they perpetuate misinformation. This is an occupational hazard that goes with the territory. No one would argue that raising awareness is exactly what we should be doing. Our […]
Published in Psychology Today on October 6, 2013 by Karen Kleiman, MSW, LCSW in This Isn’t What I Expected When most people imagine someone with psychosis, thoughts of unbridled madness come to mind. What does that look like? How do you imagine insanity would reveal itself? Are you convinced you would be able to identify someone suffering from […]
Please note they refer to “severe” postpartum depressive episdoes. Acute Postpartum Mental Illness Linked To Later Bipolar Diagnosis (via redOrbit) Women suffering from postpartum depression shortly after giving birth are more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disorder later in life, according to a Danish study published Monday in the Archives of General Psychiatry. The […]
As a follow-up to our post on postpartum depression and bipolar illness we are urging all clinicians to incorporate a screen for both symptoms of bipolar illness and psychosis when assessing all postpartum women. At the PPSC, we use the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) (don’t forget to cite the authors if you opt to copy it.) […]
