Postnatal problems
Question
My girlfriend and I had our first baby a few weeks ago. Our new son is great, but I'm worried about my girlfriend. She is acting strangely and I am convinced she has postnatal paranoia. How can I convince her she has a problem when she refuses to acknowledge anything is wrong?
Answer
It sounds like you are very concerned about your girlfriend following the birth of your son. Many women's hormone levels change dramatically during pregnancy and after childbirth. This can leave some mothers unusually emotional and prone to severe mood swings.
It's common for some mothers to feel a bit sad, disorientated and weepy shortly after giving birth. This is known as the 'baby blues' but in some cases, mothers remain feeling low and symptoms of depression can arise. These may include irritability, fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, anxiety, feelings of worthlessness and of being unable to cope. This type of depression is known as post natal depression (PND), which is actually one of the most common complications of childbirth.
Puerperal psychosis (PP) is another type of mental illness, which can develop in mothers following childbirth. Symptoms usually include obsessional thoughts and ideas, manic behaviour, odd ideas, extreme thoughts and, as you mentioned, paranoia. But to reassure you, PP is very rare and a woman is most likely to be affected if she has already had a serious mental illness in the past.
Sometimes people experience a combination of PND and PP symptoms. For example: paranoia; chanting thoughts or voices; depression; anxiety and panic. Consequently, the term 'Post Natal Illness' (PNI) is often referred to.
The only way a proper diagnosis can be made is by your girlfriend visiting her doctor (GP). It would be worth gently encouraging her to seek professional advice from her GP or health visitor.
For further information, you might like to visit Veritee's PNI Website. For extra support for you and your girlfriend, The Association for Post Natal Illness also runs a helpline and counselling service on 020 7386 0868.
Many mothers with any form of PNI don't realise what's wrong with them. This could be for a number of reasons; they may feel ashamed or embarrassed about their feelings and/or behaviour or be afraid that if they say how they are feeling the baby may be taken away. This can be a terrible burden to carry. But this scenario is rarely the case and it might be helpful to know there are many medical and talking treatments available for PNI such as cognitive behavioural therapy or antidepressants.
Perhaps you could encourage your girlfriend to talk to her GP or health visitor about how she is feeling so she can begin to explore these options. Maybe it would be helpful if you offer to go with her for extra support.
Alternatively, SANELINE (tel: 0845 767 8000) is a national mental health helpline offering confidential emotional support and information to anyone experiencing mental health problems. They will be able to give you and your girlfriend the time and space to talk about how you are feeling.
Updated: 10/06/2010
Question answered by SANE
