Will ‘Psychiatry’s Bible’ Add a Postpartum Psychosis Diagnosis?
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Emily Sliwinski experienced severe mental health symptoms, including hallucinations and agitation, shortly after giving birth, leading to an initial misdiagnosis of schizophrenia.
- After 11 days in a psychiatric hospital without improvement, she was correctly diagnosed with postpartum psychosis at a specialized perinatal psychiatric unit.
- Her case highlights a broader issue in American psychiatry regarding the lack of formal recognition of postpartum psychosis as a distinct diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
- Women's health specialists have been advocating for over five years to have postpartum psychosis officially listed in the DSM to improve research, training, and clinical care.
