Postpartum psychosis treatment. What you need to know about postpartum psychosis

This is a psychotic condition caused by complications encountered during childbirth. It is very important that a woman suffering from postpartum psychosis receives qualified medical care as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, this is not always possible, since many new mothers are unaware of their condition, and their loved ones cannot always recognize symptoms of postpartum psychosis. Although this condition is much less common than postpartum depression, you need to be able to identify it and seek help in a timely manner.

Symptoms of postpartum psychosis

Postpartum psychosis is a mental disorder, a disorder of higher nervous activity that arose in connection with childbirth. Postpartum psychosis is often called "loss of touch with reality". If the first episode of psychosis occurs shortly after childbirth, it is called postpartum. Psychosis can be mild or severe and can completely deprive a woman of the ability to care for herself and her child. Here are the main symptoms of postpartum symptoms:

• Manic manifestations. Mania is a state of painfully increased arousal characterized by the presence obsessions and ideas that, as a rule, have no real basis. Mania can be paranoid, or it can take on the character of megalomania (when the mother is confident in her extraordinary abilities or considers herself a superman);
• Hallucinations. One common symptom of postpartum psychosis is auditory hallucinations;
• Personality changes and abnormal thinking. Women suffering from postpartum depression are unable to organize their thoughts and formulate opinions. Their conversation is often incoherent and meaningless;
• Lack of adequate self-esteem. Often patients are unable to adequately assess their condition. That is why it is so difficult for relatives and friends to convince a woman that she is sick and needs medical help. In some cases, quarrels and scandals cannot be avoided, but after treatment, women are able to admit their illness and guilt to loved ones;
• Appetite disorder;
• Thoughts of murder or suicide. Such thoughts are far from uncommon; they emphasize the severity of the woman’s condition and indicate that the patient needs immediate medical intervention.

Causes of postpartum psychosis

Doctors find it difficult to single out one single cause. Some experts link the onset of postpartum depression and psychosis to changes in hormonal levels in a woman's body. Increased risk Women suffering from mental illness and disorders such as bipolar affective disorder or schizophrenia. Postpartum psychosis also threatens women who abuse narcotic substances(hashish, hemp, marijuana). Doctors believe stress associated with childbirth is another factor contributing to the development of this condition.

What is the difference between postpartum psychosis and postpartum blues (baby blues)?

Baby blues are a common condition that develops in new mothers in the first two weeks after childbirth and goes away without medical intervention. However x Chronic persistent postpartum blues can turn into postpartum depression. Both postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are severe psychotic conditions that require immediate medical intervention. If antidepressants are commonly used to treat postpartum depression (usually selective inhibitors serotonin reuptake), then postpartum psychosis is treated with antipsychotic drugs.

Are there effective treatments for postpartum psychosis?

Yes, they do exist. Treatments for psychosis known since the late 1960s. However, since that time they have been significantly improved. Most women with postpartum psychosis are treated with oral medications, although some patients refuse to take pills and are given the medication intravenously or intramuscularly. The most commonly used are Risperidone and Olanzapine. It is very important to start treatment as soon as possible. As with diabetes and hypertension, early treatment psychosis allows you to avoid the development of complications. The later treatment begins, the less effective it is.

Before starting treatment, the doctor conducts a complete medical examination and prescribes a series of tests (blood tests, checking for organic diseases), which will help clarify the causes of psychosis. For example, to make a diagnosis, the doctor must exclude systemic infection, acute renal failure or advanced disease thyroid gland. Patients also undergo a complete neurological examination, including a CT scan, to look for brain tumors or abnormal brain mass.

The birth of a child is happiness for the whole family, even if this event was not planned; over the course of 9 long months, the future parents got used to their new situation and became happier every day.

Fear replaces happiness

IN lately Increasingly, there are cases when the joy of the birth of a baby is overshadowed by the serious consequences associated with mental disorders at mom's. A few days after giving birth, a woman may begin to experience unreasonable fear for her child, hide from others, cry or laugh for no reason. All this points to a serious problem - postpartum psychosis in women. Her behavior clearly expresses an inadequate attitude towards what is happening and rejection new situation.

Postpartum psychosis: definition

The problem cannot be ignored; it is important to immediately seek qualified help. Postpartum psychosis is severe pathological condition, against which physical abnormalities may also develop. A nervous, irritable, withdrawn mother can harm not only herself, but first of all, the newborn suffers from this.

The insidiousness of the disease lies in complete absence symptoms throughout pregnancy. It is impossible to suspect postpartum depression and psychosis. Doctors are inclined to think that psychosis occurs due to hormonal imbalance, which is always present after childbirth.

How to recognize: main signs

Unfortunately, get qualified assistance a woman is not always in a hurry because she is not aware of the problem, does not want to accept it, or is confused about the symptoms. This condition is more rare than postpartum depression, so it is worth knowing about the signs of its manifestation, not only for the patient, but also for her relatives.

Symptoms of postpartum psychosis:

• inadequate assessment of oneself;
• abrupt change mood;
• hallucinations;
• confusion;
• delusional thoughts;
• anxiety;
• irritability;
• loss of appetite;
• incoherent speech;
• insomnia;
• excessive suspicion.

The occurrence of a problem is usually noticed 3-4 days after birth; loss of contact with reality is one of the first signs. Psychosis can manifest itself in mild or immediately severe form. Sometimes a young mother cannot even take care of the child on her own.

It is difficult for a woman to formulate her thoughts, and even more difficult to say them out loud. Even close people cannot achieve intelligible speech. An unacceptable habit for a breastfeeding mother often appears - strange food cravings.

Important to know! Hallucinations can be visual, tactile, auditory, or olfactory. The most dangerous are visual and auditory, which are observed during the period of postpartum psychosis.

A person can mistake a window on the ninth floor for a door and go out through it. Voices in the head can talk about different things, including suicide and physical violence against a child.

Causes of postpartum psychosis

Scientists have found that the causes of psychosis can be hereditary, and social factor has virtually no effect on the development of the process. The main causes of postpartum psychosis are: hormonal changes, physical stress to which every woman’s body is exposed during pregnancy and childbirth.

Risk factors for developing the disease include drug use and nicotine addiction women in labor. If you have a history of traumatic brain injury, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, your risk of postpartum psychosis increases. The pathology is characterized by two stages of development - exacerbation and remission. Calm state And light spots in consciousness indicate that the person is healthy.

Seizures can occur and pass spontaneously, regardless of surrounding factors. Or in certain time days.

Attitude towards the child

Major problems often arise during childbirth or immediately after it, especially if the delivery was performed by caesarean section. Sometimes the patient loses a lot of blood and develops postpartum sepsis (blood poisoning). A woman should rejoice at the birth of a child, but instead refuses to recognize it as hers. She may begin to feel angry or completely indifferent to the newborn and relatives.

Over time, the attitude towards the child does not change; the mother may not approach him at all or may not leave him for a minute. Fearing sabotage from others, she does not let anyone near the baby. If it is noticed that the mother behaves inappropriately with the child, they need to be separated - the little one should be isolated, the woman should be sent for treatment. You may have to hire a nanny or use the help of grandmothers.

A situation where a mother, despite the fatigue accumulated over the whole day associated with caring for her child, cannot sleep, can be considered a cause for concern. The patient may get the idea that the baby is not healthy, and therefore she begins to give him medications, and quite strong ones at that.

Consequences of psychosis

Without the help of specialists, postpartum psychosis rarely resolves. A woman's condition may worsen every day. It is often difficult for relatives to convince a new mother of the need for treatment. The disorder, first of all, makes it impossible to fully care for the child. Children whose mothers suffered from of this disease, often lag behind in physical and mental development.

The most dangerous consequences postpartum psychosis is a direct threat to the life of the mother and child, and it comes from the woman herself. She may try to commit suicide or try to harm the newborn. There are cases when this was successful; the mother threw herself out the window with the baby, while being in a completely inadequate state.

How to treat?

Based on the listed symptoms, the doctor conducts additional examination to confirm or refute the diagnosis. You will need to take a blood and urine test to find out the objective cause of the disorder; a neurological examination and computed tomography will be prescribed. With every day that treatment is delayed, its effectiveness decreases, which poses a threat to mother and baby. Therefore, prevention of psychosis must begin before childbirth; it is important to surround the pregnant woman with care and attention.

Treatment of postpartum psychosis in most cases ends in recovery. To do this, you need to seek help in a timely manner, follow all the timing and dosage of taking prescribed medications. Do not stop treatment, even if the condition improves.

Important to know! Whether a woman is in a hospital or at home, her relatives need to provide her with proper support. This promotes faster and easier recovery.

If the clinic has necessary conditions, the child can be admitted to the hospital with the mother, but usually the patient is sent for treatment alone. Therapy is prescribed using medications, strong antipsychotic drugs, so breastfeeding is prohibited. After 2 weeks, the patient is recovering and can be discharged home. The full therapeutic course lasts from six months to a year.

Eliminating signs of psychosis

The first stage is taking antipsychotics and mood stabilizers to relieve the symptoms of postpartum psychosis in a woman. An additional examination is prescribed to identify inflammatory process, if a pathology is detected, measures are taken to eliminate its symptoms.

On mild stage Disease treatment can be carried out at home under the supervision of relatives. Taking medications means transferring the child to artificial feeding.

The second stage is the appointment of insulin therapy, this measure is provided for severe course diseases.

Scheme further treatment depends on the patient’s condition and consists of the following manipulations:

• small amount of blood transfusion;
• prescription of sleeping pills;
• administration of adrenocorticotropic hormone;
• electroconvulsive therapy.

Medicines are usually prescribed in the form of tablets, less often intramuscular and intravenous injections. The duration of the course is influenced by the severity of the nervous disorder.

Recovery period it is no less difficult for a woman to go through, she feels a sense of guilt in front of the child, she will have to come to terms with the fact that she had to go through such a difficult and dangerous period.

Preventive measures

There is no need to ignore consultations with a psychiatrist at the stage of pregnancy planning. In the prevention of postpartum depressive states and psychosis, such meetings will not be unnecessary, they will strengthen psycho-emotional state women and prepare her mentally for the birth of a child. Of course, this does not provide an absolute guarantee that the problem will be avoided, but the risk of its occurrence will be reduced many times. It is important to try last weeks avoid pregnancy stressful situations, worry less, get enough sleep. You should also adhere to the following instructions:

• Follow all recommendations of the obstetrician-gynecologist.
• Learn relaxation techniques and self-auto-training, which will help you get rid of negative emotions.
• Walk as much as possible. This will ensure healthy sleep which contributes good rest and restores strength.

They help well during the rehabilitation period folk remedies. Have a calming effect herbal teas based on mint, St. John's wort, motherwort.

What relatives need to know

Excellent antidepressants: chocolate, bananas, seeds, walks fresh air. Emotional state A woman's attitude after childbirth is largely determined by her husband's attitude towards her during pregnancy.

It is important that peace and mutual understanding reign in the family and that there is a calm atmosphere in the house. The husband should help with household chores so that the wife can afford proper rest.

It will be beneficial to communicate with friends who have small children so that you can find out about all the upcoming exciting moments. How more woman will be informed about the upcoming process, the easier it will be for her to cope with her apathetic mood.

Relatives and close people who are with the patient must observe a number of precautions when communicating with her:

• Do not argue with opinions and obsessive statements, this can provoke aggression.
• Do not ignore any hints of suicide.
• Don't support delusional thoughts, you can just listen.
• Don't leave a woman alone.

Everyone hopes for speedy recovery sick. We can say as a consolation that the pathology is treated relatively quickly, but there are cases of the disease returning after repeated births. It is necessary to warn the doctor about the presence of psychosis in the past in order to take timely measures.

Childbirth is a colossal stress for the body, physical overload for organs and systems. The postpartum period has many difficulties for a young mother: the formation of lactation, rapid involution ( reverse development) reproductive organs, restructuring of work endocrine glands, painful stitches and tears, consequences of blood loss. After natural birth or operations C-section the woman feels weak and tired. But she does not have the opportunity to rest, relax, recover: infant requires maximum attention and care 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

Lactation depletes the mother’s body; valuable nutritional elements are removed from the body with milk and biologically active substances. The young mother is forced to comply strict diet, deny yourself your favorite foods. She feels increased responsibility in connection with motherhood. A woman may not get enough sleep for a long time; not be able to lead familiar image life: meeting friends, spending time on your appearance, traveling; forced to forget about own desires and needs for the benefit of the child. The baby is not yet able to appreciate all the mother’s sacrifices: he cries, is capricious, and sometimes has hysterics. All these factors negatively affect the condition nervous system young female body. If your health is good and your psyche is stable, then no problems arise. Otherwise, postpartum neurosis develops, which, if the situation worsens, can develop into psychosis.

Previously, maternity hospitals practiced the separation of mother and newborn. The woman had the opportunity to recover after childbirth, take care of her well-being and hygiene, sleep, and communicate calmly with relatives. Living together is now practiced. The baby is brought to the mother a few hours after natural birth. Milk arrives only on the 2nd - 3rd day; before this, babies may experience hunger and scream and cry for a long time.

Important! If a woman in labor feels overwhelmed and tired, it is better to temporarily entrust the newborn to nurses who will bring him only for feeding.

There is no need to be afraid of the judgment of others; the child needs a healthy and full of strength mother. Nervous tension leads to sad consequences, and the mother’s neurosis and psychosis affects the health and development of the baby.

Classification of neuroses

The following are distinguished: clinical forms neurosis:

1. neurasthenia - increased irritability against a background of weakness and fatigue;
2. hysteria, a condition accompanied by violent external reactions: screaming, tears, hysterics, a desire to cause physical pain to loved ones;
3. obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by anxious thoughts, fixation, fears, behavioral disorders, inadequacy in actions.

Most neuroses are of a mixed nature. Often a young mother cannot critically assess her condition and admit her illness. Only the attentive attitude and support of family members helps to cope with neurosis, which, with timely correction, is a reversible condition.

Features of the course of neurosis after childbirth

The main symptoms of postpartum neurosis: increased anxiety, feeling of fear, sleep disturbance, loss of appetite. The young mother gets emotional and stresses herself out over the slightest provocation; it is difficult for her to bear the baby’s crying. If the baby is sick, then fears go off scale.

A common form of neurosis is neurasthenia. The woman becomes whiny, irritable, and finds it difficult to cope with caring for the baby and routine housework. Over time, asthenia develops - exhaustion, the patient suddenly loses weight and looks exhausted.

Important advice for new mothers! Use your baby's nap time to relax. Simplify your daily homework, prepare simple dishes and semi-finished products. Walk with your baby in the fresh air for as long as possible. Use the help of your husband, older children, relatives and friends. Take a break from your child at least once a week.

Classification of psychoses

Psychoses are serious disorders mental state that brings great suffering and is difficult to correct. Some forms of pathology cannot be completely cured and require regular use. potent drugs.

Depending on the provoking causes, psychoses are divided into 2 groups:

• exogenous, caused external reasons: reception toxic substances(alcohol, drugs, potent drugs), infections, stress and psychological trauma;
• endogenous, caused by disturbances in the functioning of the nervous or endocrine system, tumors in the brain.

There are acute and reactive psychosis. Acute form develops at lightning speed and requires treatment at a dispensary. Reactive - forms gradually as a result of a long-term traumatic situation.

Severe forms of the disease are classified as genetic psychotic disorders. These are: schizoaffective, manic psychosis and schizophrenia. Motherhood for women with these diagnoses is an unbearable burden.

Features of the course of psychosis after childbirth

Psychosis after childbirth often develops in women who have a history of this pathology. It may worsen when chronic course diseases. Many drugs used in treatment are potent and contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Women accept them long time and is canceled at the stage of planning conception, which is a factor provoking an exacerbation.

Primary psychosis is called symptomatic, it develops as a result of infection birth canal. Postpartum psychosis is often endogenous in nature and develops as a result of rapid endocrine changes in the body.

When we talk about postpartum psychosis, we mean a disorder that manifests itself during the first few months after childbirth.

Important to remember! A mother in a state of psychosis is potentially dangerous for the baby; due to health reasons, she cannot always control herself. Relatives are obliged to take care of the safety and adequate care of the baby.

Symptoms and signs of mental disorders

Symptoms of neurosis after childbirth include mental and somatic manifestations. The following mental symptoms are identified:

• emotional instability: tearfulness, irritability, touchiness;
• sudden mood swings without visible reasons;
• excessive anxiety, fearfulness, phobias;
• fixation on a situation that traumatizes the psyche;
• decreased performance, attention, brain activity;
• violent tantrums;
• changes in behavior, isolation, indecisiveness, difficulty formulating thoughts;
• sudden weight loss;
• indifference to the child;
• intolerance certain sounds, photophobia;
• sleep disorders: insomnia or drowsiness;
• lethargy, apathy, depression.

To mental and behavioral disorders are added somatic disorders. The young mother is worried about: pain in the heart, temples, symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia (dizziness, convulsions, lightheadedness), work disorders gastrointestinal tract(loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting).

In psychosis, more severe complications are added to the described symptoms:

• strange phobias and thoughts: about the possible replacement of a child, about one’s own incurable disease, about a conspiracy or a special mission;
• loss of interest in the newborn up to complete refusal from caring for him;
• visual and auditory hallucinations - “voices”;
• megalomania;
• obsessive thoughts of suicide;
• amental stupor - the sick person does not realize where she is, speech is impaired, she falls into a “stupor”;
• periods of depression for no apparent reason are replaced by excitement and activity.

The condition affects appearance, the young mother becomes untidy, does not take care of herself and does not notice it. She stops leading household, the housing looks neglected. The circle of contacts sharply narrows; in some cases, the sick mother stops going out and “falls out” from society.

Important to know! A woman is often unable to adequately assess the severity of her condition. The initiative for diagnosis and treatment falls on the shoulders of close relatives.

neglected mental and nervous disorders lead to serious complications. Prolonged neurosis develops into psychosis, which is dangerous for the life of a woman and her child. The young mother exhausts herself with fears, she has thoughts of suicide, which may be accompanied by active actions.

Diagnosis of mental disorders in home and clinical settings

Relatives may notice the first alarming symptoms immediately after the young mother is discharged from the maternity hospital. A woman complains of weakness feeling unwell, it is difficult for her to care for the baby and perform household duties. The patient expresses many concerns and fears about the newborn. Apathy may occur; the mother stops approaching the child, even if he is crying heart-rendingly. If relatives notice changes in behavior, the woman should be referred to a psychologist or psychotherapist.

Important information! The sooner you seek medical help, the easier it is to get rid of obsessive-compulsive disorder. At alarming symptoms can be produced self-diagnosis using online tests. Answering questions candidly helps identify disorders and assess their severity.

When contacting a medical diagnostic institution, it is carried out comprehensive examination. The doctor examines, listens to complaints, prescribes tests and brain tomography. You should contact narrow specialists: neurologist, psychologist, psychiatrist, psychotherapist.

A psychologist has methods in his arsenal to identify and remove anxiety state. For example, color diagnostics. If a woman repeatedly chooses gray, black and brown from a range of colors, this indicates neurological disorder personality. The classic test - “Rorschach blots”, was created more than 100 years ago but is still relevant and informative. The subject is presented with 10 cards with ink blots. various shapes, some of them are color, the rest are black and white. Cards can be turned over. The patient examines the blots and answers questions related to the associations he sees. The test reveals mental characteristics personality and identify pathological changes. The interpretation of the results should be carried out by a specialist psychologist, who calculates the scores and draws conclusions.

With the birth of a child, a woman experiences difficult period. Emotional and physical activity increases. Dramatic changes in life put psychological pressure on a young mother. The stress of the first weeks has a negative impact on psychological health young mother. Such stress often leads to mental disorders. Postpartum psychosis is one of the insidious diseases, which occurs in 1 in 1000 new mothers.

Symptoms of postpartum psychosis are often labeled as depression and hoped to go away on their own. Conversely, a slight decline in mood is mistaken for psychosis. It is important to distinguish this disease from other mental disorders. Psychosis is a manic state that requires immediate treatment.

In this article, we described how to recognize the symptoms of postpartum psychosis in time, how to treat and prevent it.

Depression and psychosis after childbirth are conditions that require different types treatment. The outcome of the disease depends on the correct and timely diagnosis. Depression manifests itself in symptoms such as mood swings, tearfulness, guilt, and loss of appetite. They are not life-threatening for mother and baby, and occur in a quarter of women who give birth.

But in a state of postpartum psychosis, a woman does not control herself and can harm herself and the child. Postpartum psychosis overtakes a woman in the first 1 - 2 weeks after childbirth. The patient loses orientation in space. Confusion and auditory hallucinations appear. The young mother begins to have delusional ideas: that the child is a devil and must be killed. The woman insists that her baby was replaced in the maternity hospital.

The perception of tastes and smells changes or disappears altogether. As a result, the appetite disappears and the woman refuses to eat. She cannot sleep and suffers from insomnia. Mother, being in manic state, is capable of suicide and harming a newborn.

If at least one of the described symptoms appears, you should immediately consult a psychiatrist or call an ambulance psychiatric care. Relatives should take responsibility for calling a doctor, because a woman, as a rule, does not admit that she is sick.

Causes of the disease

Medicine has not yet given an exact answer to why some women experience postpartum psychosis. There is an assumption that women prone to hypochondria are faced with this disease, excessive suspiciousness, hysteria. Women who suffered from PMS before childbirth are more likely to experience this disease than others. And also important role plays hereditary factor. If you have a history of this disease in your family, the risk of experiencing postpartum psychosis increases.

Factors that provoke the appearance of postpartum psychosis can be:

• Hormonal changes in postpartum period. A sharp drop in estrogen leads to changes in mood.
• Fatigue, lack of sleep, high emotional load associated with the birth of a child.
• Difficult birth and postpartum complications at the mother's.
• History of traumatic brain injury.
• Schizophrenia, history of manic disorders.

When faced with manifestations of psychosis, you should not reproach yourself and try to change your attitude towards the situation. This dangerous disease, which is being treated with the help of a psychiatrist.

Treatment of postpartum psychosis

Basic principle of treatment manic disorder says: the sooner you start treatment, the faster you can cope with the disease. Those who consult a doctor at the first signs of the disease will be able to get out of the state of psychosis within 2-4 weeks. If you start the disease, recovery will take from six months to a year.

Drug treatment

Therapy for psychosis is carried out in a hospital, using medications incompatible with breastfeeding. You will have to be separated from your child during treatment. The psychiatrist will first prescribe antipsychotics to eliminate delusions and hallucinations. Then treatment is carried out with antidepressants and normolytics, which stabilize the mood. If some kind of postpartum infection provokes psychological disorder, then treatment of these diseases is carried out in parallel.

If therapy gives positive results, after 2-4 weeks the woman is discharged home. But the course of treatment can continue for another year.

What should relatives do?

The support of loved ones during this difficult period is very important for a young mother. Relatives are required to:

1. Organize sick night sleep at least 8 hours.
2. Provide nutritious food easily digestible food.
3. Strictly monitor the patient's medication intake.
4. Relatives should take on household chores.
5. Mom is recommended to take walks in the fresh air more often.

If treatment is started on time, then in 80% of cases it is possible to return to normal life.

Prevention of psychosis

In order to prevent the disease, you need to mentally and physically prepare for the birth of a child. It would be good to attend prenatal classes to know for sure what awaits the young family. Responsibilities for caring for the newborn are divided among all family members, thereby reducing the burden on the mother.

If a woman has encountered this disease in the past and is afraid of a repetition of the situation, then she needs to see a psychologist. He will give recommendations on how to avoid exacerbation of psychological disorder.

Postpartum psychosis is a very dangerous, rapidly developing condition. You cannot expect it to go away on its own, as is the case with other mental disorders after childbirth. Early consultation with a doctor in most cases guarantees a return to full life and happy motherhood.

Postpartum psychosis is a condition that occurs quite often in women after the birth of a child. The disease is caused by complications arising during childbirth. In this regard, it is extremely important not to leave signs of postpartum psychosis unattended. If a young mother is diagnosed psychosis after childbirth, then you should not postpone a visit to a specialist, because treatment is necessary, and you cannot cope with psychosis on your own. But there is some peculiarity here, because most women suffering from this disease simply do not notice that they have manifestations of postpartum psychosis. In addition, many relatives also do not take this illness of a young mother seriously, believing that these are just whims.

It is necessary to separate concepts such as postpartum psychosis and depression after childbirth. Both one ailment and the other are quite severe, and it requires drug treatment. But in this case, it applies various therapy. Depression after childbirth is treated using a number of drugs, while postpartum psychosis is treated with antipsychotics. In addition, it should be noted that cases of postpartum psychosis are less common, and should not be confused with postpartum blues; it is observed in the first weeks in almost every young mother. This condition More often than not, it does not require treatment and goes away on its own. But in some prolonged cases, the blues can turn into depression. This requires the action of a qualified specialist.

Psychosis after childbirth should not be underestimated; this psychotic condition is quite serious. Interestingly, in women suffering from this disease during pregnancy, no abnormalities were observed that would suggest the occurrence of psychosis in the future. According to doctors, the hormonal imbalance that always occurs after childbirth is to blame for everything. In addition, postpartum psychosis is characteristic of women who have various disorders and a history of illness. Young mothers suffering from bipolar disorders, schizophrenia. The risk group for this disease also includes those who have previously used drugs.

Practice shows that both healthy women psychosis may develop if, in connection with the birth of a baby, they experienced severe emotional stress. But when does this disease make itself known? Typically, the onset of postpartum psychosis is noticeable within three days after birth, sometimes a little later. The characteristics include such a feature as loss of contact with reality. If psychosis after childbirth continues to progress, then the highest nervous activity the patient appears to be disturbed. Immediately after childbirth, psychosis manifests itself as mild form, and immediately in heavy. Sometimes the condition of a young mother is so difficult that she is absolutely unable to take care of the baby on her own.

The development of psychosis is quite individual, and the signs are not always the same. For example, sometimes a woman exhibits manic symptoms. They are expressed by the fact that the level of excitement is increased, various ideas arise that have no connection with reality. They can also be considered a fairly common phenomenon in psychosis, and they are mainly auditory. Gradually, the young mother begins to suffer from personality changes and acquires abnormal thinking. At the same time, with psychosis, a woman finds it difficult to formulate her thoughts and make them more orderly. And in such cases, her conversations become incoherent, and the expression of thoughts occurs without intelligible content. It is difficult even for those close to her to understand what her intentions are and what she is trying to achieve.

At the same time, the patient is unable to adequate self-esteem, and she cannot correctly determine her own state. It is very difficult to convince a young mother of what she needs medical care, and without delay. In any case, relatives must do everything possible to achieve the goal and convince the woman of the need for treatment. After a certain time after the start of treatment, the woman begins to understand how erroneous her behavior was, as well as many of her beliefs. Symptoms of postpartum psychosis include appetite disorder. Often proper nutrition for a young mother it is simply inaccessible, as she develops incorrect eating habits.

It is necessary to consult a doctor if the woman herself or her relatives notice the listed symptoms. In this case, the specialist conducts a full examination to identify the real state of health. It is possible that organic ailments will be identified, and thanks to a blood test and other studies, the cause of the problem will be objectively revealed. psychosis after childbirth. In addition, it is desirable to carry out neurological examination, which is also able to find out what was the basis for the disease. It would not be superfluous to carry out computed tomography. Currently being treated of this disease not a new thing, and has been practiced for a long time. The prescribed drugs are used both orally and intramuscularly.