Postpartum Depression : A Severe Psychotic Syndrome

We know now that stressful events such as childbirth can bring on the symptoms of various mental illnesses (Gray 587), and we also know that having one mental illness can increase likelihood of having another (Mental Illness). Therefore, it is possible that Margery’s post-partum depression opened the door to symptoms of other disorders, such as hallucinations. Margery, at the end of her depression, sees a vision of Christ, after which she is “as stabled in her wits and reason as ever she was before” (Kempe 8). If Margery was indeed suffering from post-partum depression, it is unlikely that she recovered as quickly as she describes. It is more likely that she had been slowly recovering and the vision acted as a sort of catalyst, causing her to realize her improvement. She may have gained a sense of optimism from the vision; it has been proven with various diseases that those with an optimistic outlook on recovery tend to recover better and more quickly than those who have a more pessimistic view (Repper 52). If the vision is a hallucination, it is interesting that the onset of new psychotic symptoms cure her of her depression.

“Postpartum psychosis is a severe psychotic syndrome that is estimated to occur after 1.1 to 4 of every 1000 deliveries. More than half of the affected women meet diagnostic criteria for major depression” (Weissman and Olfson 800). Postpartum depression is a further common mental illness than postpartum psychosis, however Margery Kempe displays serious symptoms. Several readers believe that Margery Kempe was a woman who devoted her life to God, however, after her first child was born Margery Kempe was recognizably sick due to the feelings that she should not live. In The Book of Margery Kempe, the first autobiography in the English Language, Margery Kempe displays the symptoms of hallucinations, crying episodes, and depression to show that she has postpartum psychosis.

Borra, C., Iacovou, M., & Sevilla, A. (2015). New Evidence on Breastfeeding and Postpartum Depression: The Importance of Understanding Women 's Intentions. Maternal & Child Health Journal, 19(4), 897-907. doi:10.1007/s10995-014-1591-z

“The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, tells the story of a woman’s descent into madness as a result of postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis is a condition that affects between one and two of every thousand live births. The condition of postpartum psychosis usually begins within two weeks of giving birth and sometimes within a matter of days. (“Depression”, 2009)

The postpartum period is about going through change and transition from a woman to a new mother. This is a time where mothers restore muscle tone and connective tissue in the body after the birth of the baby. Although there is a dramatic change during the postpartum period, women’s body is nonetheless not fully stored to pre-pregnant physiology until about 6 months post-delivery (Osailan, 6). At this time, women need to receive special health and social support to prevent problems such as postpartum depression. During this period, culture plays a major role in the way a woman perceives and prepares for her birthing experience. In fact, the notions of birth and postnatal care vary considerably with cultural beliefs and traditional practices. Each culture has its own values, beliefs and practices related to pregnancy and birth (Osailan,1). In the United States, after a short hospital stay, moms and babies are sent home because it is expected for mothers to heal within 42 days after giving birth. Whereas in other societies like Mexico, the postpartum recovery is active long enough until the new mother is fully healed (Brenhouse). In the article, “Why Are America’s Postpartum Practices So Rough on New Mothers?” by Hilary Brenhouse, the author states, “With these rituals comes an acknowledgment, familial and federal, that the woman needs relief more at this time than at any other—especially if she has a career to return to—and that it takes weeks, sometimes months, to properly

Martha Ballard, a famous Maine midwife, attended more than eight hundred births during her twenty-seven year tenure as sole midwife to her community. She journaled regularly over the course other adult life, yielding nearly ten thousand diary entries in total. This archive provides an unparalleled look into the role of the midwife in the delivery process. Additionally, several of Martha Ballard’s patients, especially one Mrs. Weston (sometimes referred to as Mrs. Williams) who exhibited symptoms of puerperal insanity such as “deriliam.” Ballard notes that her condition may be the result of both physical and emotional trauma.

According to Dupey “postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are two separate conditions. Postpartum depression the mom knows that she is struggling but does not lose touch with reality. With postpartum psychosis the mom is dealing with anxiety, depression, and a complete break from reality. Knowing the difference between the two is important that family and providers recognize the difference (2014, para.12)”. When doctors do not recognize the difference and is treating the new mom for postpartum depression instead of psychosis, the end results can be harmful for the mother. The rate of mothers harming their children or commit suicide has increased over time. More states would benefit to have more faculties that deal with women

Ultimately, Charlotte Perkins Gilman incorporates her own personal experiences with postpartum depression into a narrative which shows broad implications of women, how society portrays and treats them in many ways and how those women respond to those treatments.

The recent Andrea Yates murder trial brought a firestorm of controversy as the issue of postpartum depression (PPD) became a debated topic throughout the country. Did Andrea truly suffer from psychosis as she drowned her five children in the bathtub or was such defense a scheme to avoid the death sentence? Prosecutors suggested the spousal-revenge theory as a motive for the killings. Could she have committed murder to get back at a possessive and domineering husband? (1).

This is certainly a hard case with Doris, it seems she has a lot on her plate. The first thing I notice she has a history of growing up in a dysfunctional home environment with alcoholism. Very concern about rather this issue involved her, alcoholism is a troublesome addiction for the person and others close to them. Did this have an impact on the decision she made, first dropping out of high school and getting married young. The birth of her child after a short time of being married could have left her with postpartum depression, which is a complex mixture of emotional, physical, and behavior changes. I would suggest her to try some cognitive behavioral therapy for her mental health, this could enlighten her on why she is making inaccurate

By using the symptoms she describes throughout the story, the reader can infer that the narrator is suffering from postpartum depression. According to the United States Department of Health and Human

In the article The Functional Eccentricity of Margery Kempe, Mary Hardman Farley presents numerous arguments regarding Margery’s mental well-being and her intentions as a writer. At one point Farley writes, “But while her experience has political implications, her career springs not from her strength and wholeness or from her perception of a lack of latitude in society to achieve her human potential, but rather from her anxiety to prevent her fragile ego from dissolving into periods of reactive psychosis, a common complication in histrionics” (Farley 15). Like the rest of the article and in this quote, Farley suggests that Margery not only suffered from a form of postpartum psychosis, but that in her recovery developed a disorder known as Histrionic Personality Disorder. Persons with the disorder are in constant need of attention and need the spotlight on them.

Postpartum psychosis or PPP does not affect many women, according to the article “Depression During & After Pregnancy: You Are Not Alone”, 1 or 2 in 1,000 women suffer from this (“Depression During”, n.d.). Typically, more mothers have what is known as “baby blues”, which include symptoms of irritability, tiredness, and mild confusion (Jackson-Best, F., 2016). Once

Women have long felt the emotional, psychological and physical effects of child bearing. Before modern medicine, these mental struggles were said to be nothing more than nervousness. In The Yellow Wallpaper a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gillman, the narrator is a young woman who has recently given birth, during the late 19th century. After giving birth she has fallen victim of postpartum depression. When a woman becomes pregnant her body immediately starts to produce hormones in excess. These same hormones that help a woman through pregnancy can cause psychological detriment postpartum. Her husband, who is a doctor, tells her, it is nothing more than nervousness. Narrator states, “John does not know how much I really suffer. He knows there is no reason to suffer, and that satisfies him.” If postpartum depression symptoms are not taken care of it can result in a complete mental illness and can lead to suicidal tendencies. Dr, Rui Campos and her colleagues discuss the findings of their study in their article Neediness and Depression in women. What they found was that most women have mental illness as a result of a hormonal imbalance, their own self-worth and the environment in which they live. The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper is kept contained in a room. Her husband believes that with rest and time alone she will get better. Instead of improving, her mental clarity worsens as a result of no treatment, and being held hostage in a room, and while alone she lives

In chapter 1, Margery falls prey to postpartum depression after giving birth to one of her many children. During this psychotic episode, devils threaten her and compel her to renounce Christ, and she has lascivious affairs with strange men. As a result, Margery feels as though she is going to die and go to hell; culminating in Margery savagely biting her own hand to keep from killing herself (Kempe 6-7). It is reasonable to assume that the prospect of being a mother absolutely horrifies Margery; making her resent her role as wife and mother, and question her purpose for existing. Here, Margery Kempe is having an existential crisis―a point in time during which an individual questions if their life has meaning, purpose, or value―which produces