Postpartum Psychosis

Postpartum psychosis, also known as puerperal psychosis or peripartum psychosis, involves the abrupt onset of psychotic symptoms shortly following childbirth, typically within two weeks of delivery, though women remain at risk for developing symptoms for several months afterward. Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and abnormal motor behavior such as catatonia, alongside mood swings, confusion, restlessness, and personality changes, with risk factors including family history, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and a difficult pregnancy. It occurs in an estimated 1 to 2 of every 1,000 childbirths, and the DSM-5 applies a with-peripartum-onset specifier when symptoms begin within four weeks of delivery.