Last year, Margaret Spinelli, MD wrote about a proposal to the DSM committee of the American Psychiatric Association arguing for the inclusion of postpartum psychosis as a unique diagnosis based on its distinct clinical presentation. She will be soon be presenting this information to the DSM Committee in order to recognize “Postpartum Psychosis” as a unique diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Recognizing postpartum psychosis as a unique psychiatric diagnosis is not just about words. Recognizing the unique and unusual features of postpartum psychosis will ensure that women with this disorder will receive appropriate treatment.

Read more about why postpartum psychosis is unique HERE.

This effort is supported by the Postpartum Psychosis Taskforce of Postpartum Support International. You can support this effort by signing this petition.

Postpartum Psychosis Awareness Day will be May 6. To learn more, CLICK HERE.

For Women Who Have Experienced Postpartum Psychosis and Their Families

Dr. Spinelli is asking women who have experienced postpartum psychosis to sign the petition and to send her a short paragraph describing their experiences to her.

We need short (5 sentences or less), polite and to the point stories illustrating the experiences of those affected by PPP.*  Please have it to us by February 24th. (Send by email to tmtwomey2@gmail.com and to mgs8@cumc.columbia.edu)

Here are some suggestions of what to include (if applicable):

Length of time before receiving adequate treatment

Length of time of the illness

Impact on relationship to child (real or feared)

How it affected the experience of early parenthood

Adverse effects on husband/marriage or other relationships

Effects and burden on family (financial or other)

How family managed during any hospitalization

Any misdiagnosis

Any incorrect medication

If the experience was frightening

Any traumatic experience due to treatment by others

How treatment during illness affected recovery

Suicide thoughts or actions

Infanticide thoughts or actions

Any actions that could have or did cause harm to others

Length of recovery

Complications during recovery

USE: Submitting this to us implies permission to use all or just a portion of what you submit in this appeal to the committee. We may edit, particularly for brevity, if necessary.

PRIVACY: Please end the story with how you wish to be identified. You do not need to use your full name but we do want some indication of your relationship to a person who had this illness. Some examples of what this might be:

Anonymous, mother of suicide victim

Suzy, survivor

Michael M, husband

Elizabeth Smith, sister of PPP survivor.

Read More:

Spinelli M. Postpartum psychosis: a diagnosis for the DSMV. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2021 Sep 8.

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