In plain words
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a set of symptoms that can follow an event where a person felt that life was in danger, or that the event was deeply overwhelming. In pregnancy and after loss, these events can include a , a with heavy bleeding, an emergency birth, or a sudden change in the baby's health. Symptoms include intrusive memories, nightmares, avoiding reminders, , and feeling numb or detached. PTSD is not the same as sadness or grief, though the two can overlap. Many people have distressing reactions after a frightening event that fade within weeks. PTSD is considered when symptoms last more than a month and interfere with daily life. A provider can screen for it, and trauma-focused therapy is one option that many mothers find helpful.
The deeper version
PTSD is diagnosed under DSM-5-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2022) when exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence is followed by intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognition and mood, and arousal symptoms lasting more than one month with impairment. Perinatal prevalence varies widely by study design. A meta-analysis by Yildiz, Ayers, and Phillips (Clinical Psychology Review, 2017) pooled postnatal PTSD prevalence at around 4 percent, with higher rates after and emergency . Pregnancy loss and NICU admission are associated with elevated rates. Proposed mechanisms include fear conditioning and altered memory consolidation. and have the strongest treatment evidence. The main controversy is whether childbirth itself meets the DSM criterion for a qualifying stressor, which the manual does not settle for every birth.
Where it comes up
- Birth trauma and postpartum PTSDPostpartum: Mind
- Pregnancy after a lossPregnancy: Mind and Life
- Your body and heart after a miscarriageLoss and Complications
- When birth didn't go to planBirth and the First Days
- When to get help, and who to call tonightPostpartum: Mind
What mothers here say about post-traumatic stress disorder
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- American Psychiatric Association — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR, 2022)
- Yildiz PD, Ayers S, Phillips L — The prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in pregnancy and after birth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review (2017)