BRITTANY: when asking for help isn't enough

Content note: This episode includes candid discussions of severe perinatal mental illness, psychosis, intrusive thoughts, thoughts of self-harm, psychiatric hospitalization, and electroconvulsive therapy. Please take care while listening.Brittany is a working mom of two whose journey to motherhood began with fertility treatments and a deeply wanted pregnancy. During her second trimester, she developed a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder that quickly became a severe mental health crisis. Despite repeatedly telling her providers that something was wrong and asking for help, she struggled to be heard.Brittany and I originally recorded this conversation in June. Before releasing it, we sat down again in August as the Lindsay Clancy trial brought postpartum mental illness, and particularly postpartum psychosis, into the national conversation.This is not a conversation about Lindsay Clancy’s guilt or innocence, and neither of us is attempting to weigh in on the case. Instead, Brittany shares something she can speak to personally: what it is like to experience psychosis and how profoundly a person’s perception of reality can change during a severe perinatal mental health crisis. At a moment when these illnesses are being discussed so publicly, we felt it was important to talk about what they can actually look and feel like for someone who has lived through one.In our original conversation, Brittany shares what happened as her symptoms escalated during her first pregnancy, eventually leading to inpatient psychiatric care and electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT. We talk about the gaps in care that allowed her condition to become so severe, the treatment and support that helped her recover, and her experience going on to have a healthy second pregnancy and baby.We also talk about what it means to trust yourself when the people responsible for your care aren’t listening, the strain a mental health crisis can place on partners and families, and what Brittany wishes more people understood about severe perinatal mental illness.Brittany’s story is difficult, but it is also a story of recovery. She continued to speak up. She eventually received the treatment she needed. And she got better.What we cover:Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancyPsychosis and what losing touch with reality can actually feel likeThe difference between perinatal and postpartum mental health conditionsFertility treatment and the emotional weight surrounding a wanted pregnancyRecognizing when something is wrong and advocating for careGaps in maternal mental healthcareInpatient psychiatric treatment and ECT during pregnancyThe effects of a mental health crisis on partners and loved onesRecovery and pregnancy after a traumatic first experienceThe public conversation around postpartum psychosis and the Lindsay Clancy trialThis episode is for anyone navigating pregnancy or postpartum mental health, anyone who has struggled to be heard by a healthcare provider, and the people supporting someone through a mental health crisis.Resources for support:Postpartum Support International HelpLine: Call 1-800-944-4773 and choose #2 for English or #1 for Spanish. Text “HELP” to 800-944-4773 in English or 971-203-7773 in Spanish. This is a support and resource line, not an emergency service.National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: Call or text 1-833-852-6262 for free, confidential support available 24/7 in English and Spanish.If you or someone you know needs immediate crisis support in the United States, call or text 988. If there is immediate danger, contact local emergency services.You are not alone, and asking for help is always worth it.