If postpartum depression is now well known and easily identified by professionals, the other postpartum disorders are something people are not really aware of, often misdiagnosed and thus not properly treated. Yet, for many reasons mothers (or partners) can develop a disorder and suffer in silence for years because it is not easy to talk about an experience commonly perceived as normal and to be properly heard. This can happen after a traumatic pregnancy or childbirth but also after a previous trauma or OCD re-activated by these or simply by motherhood.It is important to notice that even if a pregnancy/childbirth is considered as 'normal', it can be followed by a stress disorder, such as postpartum PTSD, with a 25% of women presenting acute symptoms and 6% having full PTSD after a 'normal' childbirth (Dekel et al., 2017; Cook et al. 2018). Among other consequences, they can have difficulties in bonding with the child, extreem anxiety, panic attacks, irrational fear of death, rumination, avoidance of anything that could remind them the experience they had, including their child sometimes. Complications can occur if the issue is not addressed properly. But it is never too late to get some help..
The following descriptions are indicative and are not here to validate a self-diagnosis. If you recognize yourself in these symptoms, more tests and a deeper examination of the problem and its environment are needed.
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It is characterized by hypervigilance and hyper-reactivity (or their opposite symptoms), anxiety, mood disorders, negative thoughts that can look like a depression (and can lead to one) but is generally focused on intrusions and ruminations (related to the traumatic event), avoiding strategies of what could remind them the trauma.
The post partum can start or worsen OCD. It typically includes intrusion of negative thoughts, worries, obsessional doubts related to the perception of a danger followed by compulsive strategies responding to the danger. In the case of the post-partum, these obsessive worries can be related to the perception of an external danger or the perception of being yourself a danger. The attempts to 'calm' the patient with reasoning and assurance that the danger is not real or not that bad, or by accusing or mocking them are useless and tend to worsen the problem.
It can pre-exist or be worsen by post-partum. It also includes worries considered excessive by other people, in different situations; hyper-arousal/ hypervigilance leading to sleeping disorders, muscular contraction and thus exhaustion. Unlike OCD, the response tends to be confused, non ritualised, eventually with panic attacks but again trying to use reasoning, logic and mockery/humour is worsening the situation, sometimes with a progressive social isolation.
Social phobia, school refusal, selective mutism; Hikikomori syndrom - with or without neurodiversity.
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hoarding disorders, burn-out ; organization and habit changes for helpers and patients with disorders altering cognitive capacities or chronic illness.
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