New study aims to increase understanding of postpartum psychosis

A study funded by Health and Care Research Wales hopes to understand more about the causes of postpartum psychosis.   

The Mother and Mental Health (MAM) study is being led by Professors Ian Jones and Arianna Di Florio at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) in Cardiff.  

Postpartum psychosis is a serious mental health illness that affects around one in 500 mothers. Symptoms usually develop within two weeks of giving birth and can include hallucinations, delusions or rapidly changing mood. Postpartum psychosis should be treated as a medical emergency, but with the right treatment and support, most people make a full recovery. Professor Jones explained:

There are few things tougher than experiencing an episode of postpartum psychosis in those early days after having a baby. The expectation that it should be the most joyful time of your life becomes one of the most severe episodes of psychiatric illness that we see. We need to understand things better for the huge number of women who experience postpartum psychosis.” 

The team previously conducted the largest study of postpartum psychosis in women with diagnosed mood disorder, finding a considerably higher risk of postpartum psychosis in women with bipolar type 1. This influenced NICE Clinical Guidelines on antenatal and postnatal mental health, as well as leading to the development of better support services for mothers under the Maternal Mental Health Alliance. Training, developed alongside APP, has also been delivered to psychiatrists, GPs, pharmacists and midwives. 

In 2016, researchers also worked with scriptwriters on a postpartum psychosis storyline in BBC’s Eastenders, raising vital awareness and resulting in a 400% increase in women contacting APP.  

Professor Jones continued,

Our research has highlighted many of the factors that make women more susceptible to this serious condition. Now, guidance recommends that if a woman has any past or present severe mental illness or bipolar disorder, or if there is close family history of severe perinatal mental illness, clinicians should be alert for possible symptoms of postpartum psychosis in the first two weeks after childbirth.”  

To find out more about the study and how you could take part, visit Mums and Mental Health (MaM) survey | NCMH.