What is postpartum psychosis?
Lindsay Clancy's murder trial has drawn attention to the distinction between postpartum psychosis and the more common postpartum depression.
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious medical emergency characterized by severe, rapid onset psychiatric episodes such as mania, depression, delusions or hallucinations. It can have rapid onset in the days or weeks after birth, research shows.
Symptoms of postpartum depression include withdrawing from loved ones, crying more than usual, feeling worried or overly anxious, feeling anger, doubting your ability to take care of your baby and thinking about harming yourself or your baby, according to the CDC.
Postpartum psychosis is far less common than postpartum depression. It affects roughly 1 to 2 mothers per 1,000 childbirths, according to estimates from a 2017 systematic review in the journal BMC Psychiatry.
