Postpartum Psychosis Resources | Books, Journalism and Creative Media
Hotline/Phone Resources
Postpartum Support International*: HelpLine (800-944-4773) NOTE: PSI is not a crisis hotline. If you are currently experiencing a crisis: Call your physician or your local emergency number (911) or contact 988 or Crisis Text Line/ Suicide Prevention.
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the USA
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – Call 988
Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-852-6262 (1-833-TLC-Mama)
Websites
- Postpartum Support International*
- Resources include information, a HelpLine (800-944-4773) and access to various support services. NOTE: PSI is not a crisis hotline. If you are currently experiencing a crisis: Call your physician or your local emergency number (911); Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the USA; or Call National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
- PSI Website Page on Postpartum Psychosis*
- PSI Bookstore*
- PSI Postpartum Psychosis Online Support Group*
- PSI List of Intensive Perinatal Psychiatry Programs in the U.S.*
- PSI Zoom Webinar: Slaying the Monstrous Misconceptions About Postpartum Psychosis: A Roundtable Discussion
- Postpartum Psychosis Awareness Day- 3rd Annual Awareness Day – May 5th, 2023
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)*Free consultations to medical providers caring for patients with postpartum psychosis.
- MGH Center for Women’s Health*state-of-the-art evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function located at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- MGH Postpartum Psychosis Project* A new national research project on postpartum psychosis.
- Action on Postpartum Psychosis A U.K. network composed of women who have experienced psychosis or bipolar disorder in relation to childbirth. This site includes many helpful resources.
- Cherished Mom* A program offering educational videos about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADS)and delivery of free self-care boxes to new moms.
- HealthUnlocked A U.K. online support network that contains a forum for Postpartum Psychosis.
- Melanie’s Battle A website dedicated to postpartum depression and psychosis in honor of Melanie Stokes.
Social Media
- Postpartum Psychosis Activism and Advocacy* By-admission. FB page for advocates/activists to share information and coordinate activities. Teresa Twomey, lead Admin.
- Postpartum Psychosis Forum* By-admission. FB peer-support page for postpartum psychosis survivors/friends/families. Teresa Twomey,* founder and lead Admin.
- Postpartum Psychosis Survivors*
@Postpartum Help* – Twitter handle of PSI
TikTok
- @2meteresa
- Be You T Fully You
First Person Accounts
Books
- Alvi, Aaisha. A Mom Like That: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis. Dundurn Press, coming September 24, 2024.
- Beeston, Ariane. Because I’m Not Myself, You See: A memoir of motherhood, madness, & coming back from the brink. Black Ink, coming May 21, 2024.
- Burling, Angela D.* “Moving Out of Darkness.” In Motherhood, Mental Illness and Recovery: Stories of Hope, edited by Nikole Benders-Hadi and Mary E. Barber, 127-133. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2014.
- Cho, Catherine. Inferno: A Memoir of Motherhood and Madness. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2020.
- Dockrill, Laura. What Have I Done? Motherhood, Mental Illness, & Me. Vintage, 2021.
- Ekhoff, Jessica. Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of Mania. New Degree Press, 2023.
- Halvorson, Shirley. Beth: A Story of Postpartum Psychosis. Bloomington: First Books Library, 2004. (A mother’s story of her daughter’s tragic postpartum suicide.)
- Moyer, Jennifer Hentz. A Mother’s Climb Out of Darkness. Amarillo: Praeclarus Press, 2014.
- Tompkins, Angela. Insanity’s Shoes: My Running Trip Through Postpartum Psychosis. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2015.
- Townsend, Sarah C.* Setting the Wire: A Memoir of Postpartum Psychosis. Chicago: The Lettered Streets Press, 2019.
- Twomey, Teresa M.* with Shoshana Bennett. Understanding Postpartum Psychosis: A Temporary Madness. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009.
- Wight, Jen. Rattled: Overcoming Postpartum Psychosis. Trigger Publishing, 2022
Magazine and Newspaper Articles
- Dembosky, April. “Unthinkable,” Mother Jones, February 2020.
- Nunn, Gary. “I thought the staff were trying to kill me: the illness that can haunt new mothers,”The Guardian, August 2019.
Personal Essay
- Alvi, Aaisha. A Voice In My Head Told Me My Daughter Needed to Die. Multiple Doctors Sent Me Home Anyway, HuffPost, May 23, 2023.
- Abramson, Lisa. “Giving Birth Landed Me in the Psych Ward,”The New York Times, September 2019.
- Coleman, Heather. They Found Me Running Naked Along the Highway, Good Housekeeping, May 6, 2015.
- Lage, Ayana. Postpartum Psychosis Landed Me in a Psychiatric Ward for 17 Days. Now, I’m Ready to Share My Story, Cosmopolitan, April 23, 2023.
- LaSusa, Danielle.* “White Noise,” Literary Mama, September 2017.
Podcasts, Interviews & Blogs
- A Humane Approach to Care for Mothers in Crisis* April Dembosky, Health Affairs, October 2021.
- Beast of an Illness Kristina Dulaney’s* story, Massachusetts General Hospital P3 Project, February 2020.
- Bodies: The Fourth Trimester – Jess Pierson
- Carol Blocker speaking about Postpartum Psychosis, PSI PSA.*
- GotchaMama Podcast Kristina Dulaney* shares her survival of postpartum psychosis and discusses maternal mental health with host Amanda Bennett, May 2019.
- “I Didn’t Know Motherhood Could Have a Dark Side Until I Saw Demons Trying to Kill My Baby,” Olivia Siegl’s story on PSI Blog,* June 2019.
- The Light Kristina Dulaney* joins The Light FM to talk about her experience of postpartum psychosis, maternal mental health, and her organization, Cherished Mom, March 2019.
- Motherhood and Mental Illness KQED, Mina Kim interview with Angela Burling,* Diana Barnes,* April Dembosky and Michelle Oberman, February 2020.
- My Experience with Postpartum Psychosis, Hospitalization and Recovery Kristina Dulaney* shares her story in Postpartum Progress, May 2016.
- My Postpartum Psychosis Personal Story Produced by Action on Postpartum Psychosis, January 2016.
- Out of the Darkness: Into the Light Kristina Dulaney* shares her story in Triad Moms on Main, February 2016.
- Playing Monopoly with God A nonfiction storytelling performance by Melissa Bangs, January 2018.
- Postpartum Depression and African American Community PSI PSA.*
- Postpartum Psychosis–Katy’s Story Recorded in the U.K., June 2019.
- Postpartum Psychosis, A Mother’s Story Kristina Dulaney* shares her story on Mom & Mind, August 2017.
- Postpartum Psychosis Made Me Hallucinate My Dead Mother Holly York shares her story on This Morning (U.K.), November 2016.
- Postpartum Psychosis: Something I Didn’t Learn About in Birthing Class Kristina Dulaney* shares her story, NAMI, June 2019.
- Rethinking Mental Health Care in the US KQED Forum, Lesley McClurg interviews April Dembosky, Dr. Nirmaljit Dhami, Kathryn Grant, and Kristina Dulaney,* October 2021.
- She Wanted To Be The Perfect Mom, Then Landed In A Psychiatric Unit NPR, April Dembosky article and broadcast interview of Lisa Abramson, January 2019.
- Suicide is a leading cause of death for new moms but awareness is low Catherine Pearson, HuffPost, May 2018.
- UNC Inpatient Program Serves as a Model for Treating Postpartum Depression* WRAL, November 2015.
- Understanding Postpartum Psychosis TEDx Talk by Rachael Watters, March 2019.
- What Is Postpartum Psychosis? TEDx Talk by Teresa Twomey,* August 2013.
Documentary Films
- Not Carol A documentary about Carol Coronado and a tragic outcome of psychosis, 2019.
- 2020 Mom: Maternal Health Forum Screening of Not Carol (a documentary about Carol Coronado and a tragic outcome of psychosis) with panel discussion on postpartum psychosis,* April 2019.
- When the Bough Breaks A documentary about postpartum depression, narrated and executive-produced by Brooke Shields, 2015.
The Need for a DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, American Psychiatric Association) Diagnosis of Postpartum Psychosis
- Rhodes, Ann M. Why a DSM diagnosis of postpartum psychosis is important for women in the US legal system. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Aug 20.
- Spinelli, Margaret.* Postpartum psychosis: a diagnosis for the DSMV. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Apr 19.
Novels
- Gerdes, Sharon,* Back In Six Weeks: A Novel, SKG Press, 2014.
- Goodman, Carol, The Other Mother: A Novel, New York: William Morrow, 2018.
- O’Brien, Maureen, Purgatory Behind the Wire, Booklocker Press, 2007.
- Spears, Karen, Mother of Rain, Macon: Mercer University Press, 2013.
- Wright, Susan Elliot. The Flight of Cornelia Blackwood. Simon & Schuster UK, 2020.
Performance Art
Playing Monopoly with God. A nonfiction storytelling performance by Melissa Bangs, January 2018.
Short Story
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. The Yellow Wallpaper. Eastford: Martino Fine Books, 2018. (First published 1892).
TEDx Talk
- Understanding Postpartum Psychosis. TEDx Talk by Rachael Watters, March 2019.
- What Is Postpartum Psychosis? TEDx Talk by Teresa Twomey,* August 2013.
On Postpartum Psychosis
Books
- Marland, Hilary. Dangerous Motherhood: Insanity and Childbirth in Victorian Britain. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004.
- Twomey, Teresa M.* and Gina Wong. “Postpartum Psychosis: A Mother of Madness” chapter in Moms Gone Mad: Motherhood and Madness, Oppression and Resistance. Toronto: Demeter Press, 2012.
- Twomey, Teresa M.* with Shoshana Bennett. Understanding Postpartum Psychosis: A Temporary Madness. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009.
Journal Articles
- Spinelli, Margaret.* Postpartum psychosis: a diagnosis for the DSMV. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Sep 8.
Podcasts, Interviews & Blogs:
- On The Big Bad Wolf of Postpartum Mood Disorders Teresa Twomey,* Postpartum Progress, May 9, 2010.
- Rethinking Mental Health Care in the US KQED Forum, Lesley McClurg interviews April Dembosky, Dr. Nirmaljit Dhami, Kathryn Grant, and Kristina Dulaney,* October 2021.
On Postpartum Mood & Anxiety Disorders, Including Psychosis
Books
- Barnes, Diana Lynn.* Women’s Reproductive Health Across the Lifespan. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2014.
- Bennett, Shosana S. and Pec Indman. Beyond the Blues: A Guide to Understanding and Treating Prenatal and Postnatal Depression & Anxiety. Untreed Reads Publishing, 5th ed., 2019.
- Bennett, Shoshana S. Postpartum Depression for Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2007.
- Dix, Carol. The New Mother Syndrome: Coping with Postpartum Stress and Depression. New York: Doubleday, 1985.
- Dunnewold, Ann L. Evaluation and Treatment of Postpartum Emotional Disorders. Sarasota, Florida: Professional Resource Press, 1997.
- Poulin, Sandra. The Mother-to-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Book. New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2006.
- Quatraro, Rosa Maria and Pietro Grussu. Handbook of Perinatal Clinical Psychology. Routledge, 2020.
Sichel, Deborah and Jeanne Watson Driscoll. Women’s Moods: What Every Woman Must Know About Hormones, the Brain, and Emotional Health. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1999.
On Infanticide and Filicide
Books
- Burling, Angela D.* “Moving Out of Darkness.” In Motherhood, Mental Illness and Recovery: Stories of Hope, edited by Nikole Benders-Hadi and Mary E. Barber, 127-133. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2014.
- Feingold, Susan* and Barry Lewis. Advocating for Women with Postpartum Illness: A Guide to Changing the Law and the National Climate. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 2020.
- Goc, Nicola. Women, Infanticide and the Press 1822-1922: News Narratives in England and Austrailia. New York: Routledge, 2016.
- Meyer, Cheryl L. and Michelle Oberman. Mothers Who Kill Their Children. New York: New York University Press, 2001.
- Spencer, Suzy. Breaking Point. New York: Diversion Books, 2002, 2015.
- Spinelli, Margaret.* Infanticide: Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives on Mothers Who Kill. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2003.
- Wong, Gina and George Parnham, eds. Infanticide and Filicide: Foundations in Maternal Mental Health Forensics. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2021.
Film
- Not Carol.* A documentary about Carol Coronado and a tragic outcome of postpartum psychosis, 2019.
Journal Articles
- Barnes, Diana Lynn.* Towards a new understanding of pregnancy denial: the misunderstood dissociative disorder. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Aug 15.
Magazine and Newspaper Articles
- Dembosky, April. “Unthinkable,” Mother Jones, February 2020.
- Le Beau Lucchesi, Emilie. “When Giving Birth Leads to Psychosis, Then to Infanticide,” The Atlantic, September 2018.
- Sweeney, Annie. Prosecutors and judge agree that after 20 years in prison, mother deserves mercy and a new shot at life. The Chicago Tribune, March 2021.
Podcasts, Interviews & Blogs
- She Killed Her Children. Can We Forgive Her? KQED, April Dembosky article and broadcast on Carol Coronado’s story, February 2020.
On Legal and Legislative Issues
Books
- Feingold, Susan* and Barry Lewis. Advocating for Women with Postpartum Illness: A Guide to Changing the Law and the National Climate. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, 2020.
- Meyer, Cheryl L. and Michelle Oberman. Mothers Who Kill Their Children. New York: New York University Press, 2001.
- Spinelli, Margaret.* Infanticide: Psychosocial and Legal Perspectives on Mothers Who Kill. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, 2003.
- Twomey, Teresa M.* with Shoshana Bennett. Understanding Postpartum Psychosis: A Temporary Madness. Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2009.
- Wong, Gina and George Parnham, eds. Infanticide and Filicide: Foundations in Maternal Mental Health Forensics. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Publishing, 2021.
On Medication and Breastfeeding
Resources for Medications in Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
- MotherToBaby (866) 626-6847. Confidential, and no-cost information about medications and other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding by phone, text, email and chat.
- InfantRisk Center (806) 352-2519. A free call center at the Texas Tech University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics serves parents or providers with questions about medications and breastfeeding.
- Center for Women’s Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)* Website providing resources and information. On-site evaluation and treatment of psychiatric disorders associated with female reproductive function.
- MGH Case-based Supervision to Providers Treating Postpartum Psychosis* Free consultations to medical providers caring for patients with postpartum psychosis.
- Reprotox An information system developed by the Reproductive Toxicology Center. Contains summaries on the effects of medications, chemicals, infections, and physical agents on pregnancy, reproduction, and development.
- Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed) Drugs and lactation database. Contains information on drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed.
- E-Lactancia A free online source in Spanish and English for information about the compatibility of medications with breastfeeding.
Books
- Bennett, Shoshana. Pregnant on Prozac: The Essential Guide to Making the Best Decision for You and Your Baby. Gilford: Globe Pequot, 2009.
- Hale, Thomas W. Hale’s Medications & Mother’s Milk 2021: A Manual of Lactational Pharmacology–An Essential Reference Manual on the Transmission of Medicine into Breast Milk. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2021.
On Parental Leave
On Women and Mental Illness
Books
- Chesler, Phyllis. Women and Madness. New York: Palgrave MacMillan, 2005. (First published 1970.)
- Wong, Gina, ed. Moms Gone Mad: Motherhood and Madness, Oppression and Resistance. Toronto: Demeter Press, 2012.
Practitioner and Researcher-Oriented
Webinar
Books
- Cox, Elizabeth. Women’s Mood Disorders: A Clinician’s Guide to Perinatal Psychiatry. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2021.
- Hale, Thomas W. Hale’s Medications & Mother’s Milk 2021: A Manual of Lactational Pharmacology–An Essential Reference Manual on the Transmission of Medicine into Breast Milk. New York: Springer International Publishing, 2021.
- Hamilton, James Alexander and Patricia Neel Harberger, eds. Postpartum Psychiatric Illness: A Picture Puzzle. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992.
- Robinson, Gail Erlick, Carol C. Nadelson and Gisele Apter, eds. Postpartum Mental Health Disorders: A Casebook by Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry Committee on Gender and Mental Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.