Women share postpartum psychosis experiences amid Lindsay Clancy trial

Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency, women say

A UK broadcast report has put harrowing first-hand accounts of postpartum psychosis before viewers, using the trial of Lindsay Clancy in the United States as a way into a condition that remains poorly understood. Lindsay Clancy, an American mother, says the rare mental health condition caused her to kill her three children. The report said there are around 1,200 cases of postpartum psychosis in the UK each year.

The segment featured two women linked to the charity Action on Postpartum Psychosis. They described a severe psychiatric illness that can come on quickly and is different from postnatal depression. Symptoms can include depression, anxiety and confusion, along with detachment from reality, hallucinations and delusions.

One woman said she lost touch with reality within hours. In her psychosis, she thought everything was a simulation. She saw devils, heard voices and watched her son's face change. Hospital food looked to her like human flesh, and she threw it on the floor. She heard a voice saying she was in hell. The experience felt like walking through a nightmare, and she could not tell what was real.

Another woman said she knew a little about postnatal depression but had never heard of postpartum psychosis. She felt a sense of doom and fear that something terrible would happen. In her mind, she had died and gone to hell and was being judged in an afterlife for something she had done to her daughter. None of it had happened in real life. She was admitted to a general psychiatric unit and separated from her daughter for a few weeks. She said the separation did not help when she was so poorly.

The charity's message was that people should generally be admitted to a specialist mother and baby unit and treated with medication, alongside other support. It said outcomes are better for women and families when a mother can be admitted and recover with her baby. Access is not universal. The report noted provision varies, including in Northern Ireland, while a new unit has opened on the north Wales and Chester border.

The Lindsay Clancy case has prompted widespread discussion, but the report stressed it is an extreme case and should not be the benchmark. Infanticide is an incredibly tragic outcome, but it is rare. The majority of danger in postpartum psychosis is usually to the mother herself. The report said there is a slightly higher risk for people with bipolar disorder or a previous episode of postpartum psychosis, but it can happen to anyone, across backgrounds, cultures and education levels.

The women said the condition is an invisible illness and not a failure. Becoming mentally unwell does not say anything about someone as a mother. One said she wanted to talk about her experience so people could understand what it felt like. Her advice to her past self would be that it is not permanent, that she would recover, and that it was not her fault. She needed someone to tell her she would be okay; the charity app helped her see other women come through it. She said the key point is that it is an illness.

The Department of Health and Social Care told the report that record numbers of women are now accessing perinatal mental health services and that it is working to ensure every woman receives safe, personalised and compassionate support during or after pregnancy. The report also signposted help through the Action on Postpartum Psychosis website, and said anyone facing a medical emergency should call 999 or speak to their GP.