Your questions drive our show. Ask Dr. Ruta a question or share your story with us today!
Postpartum psychosis affects approximately 1-2 per 1,000 people after childbirth and is the most severe perinatal mental health condition. It is a medical emergency that often requires hospitalization, but with prompt treatment, recovery is possible.
Dr. Ruta and Allie are joined by postpartum psychosis survivors and advocates Meghan Cliffel and Kriti Lodha. Together, they discuss what postpartum psychosis is, the symptoms to watch for, how treatment works, and what recovery can look like. They also share what it means to reclaim your story after experiencing postpartum psychosis.
People with postpartum psychosis are experiencing a serious medical illness and deserve compassionate, evidence-based care. Whether you've experienced postpartum psychosis yourself or are learning about it for the first time, this episode offers an important opportunity to better understand the condition and help reduce the stigma surrounding this often misunderstood illness.
Resources:
- Get Help for Postpartum Psychosis: Information and Resources from PSI
- Join a free, virtual PSI PPP Support Group for survivors and family members
- Learn more about the largest research study of PPP survivors at the MGH Postpartum Psychosis Project
- Direct provider questions about PPP to the MGH Postpartum Psychosis Consult Line for a free consultation staffed by MGH reproductive psychiatrists
- Get involved in global advocacy with the PSI Postpartum Psychosis Task Force
- Read more from Meghan Cliffel on her website and Substack
NEED IMMEDIATE HELP? Call the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline at 1-833-TLC-MAMA
Disclaimer: This podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical care. The views, thoughts, and opinions shared today are the speakers’ own. **Trigger Warning** Psychosis, hospitalization, suicidal ideation, post-traumatic stress disorder, postpartum depression
Meghan Cliffel is a writer and mindfulness teacher whose life was reshaped by her experience with postpartum psychosis. After 20 years in public education—teaching, working at the nation’s largest school district, and founding a nonprofit consulting agency—Meghan now teaches others how to understand their thoughts and emotions through mindfulness, self-inquiry, and compassion. Her lived experience with postpartum psychosis—coming too near to losing everything—informs her writing, speaking, advocacy, and coaching, where she challenges societal expectations of motherhood, achievement, and a life well-lived. Meghan has given interviews and talks to press and clinicians globally and has written for places like the Journal of Psychiatry and the Law and Psychiatric Times.
Kriti Lodha is a South Asian mom and seasoned marketing and technology executive with a track record of building and scaling multi-million-dollar businesses, brands, and teams across the SaaS and CPG industries, including Toast and Procter & Gamble. She was motivated to turn her pain into purpose and tackle the maternal mental health crisis head-on after silently battling postpartum psychosis during the pandemic. Today, Kriti proudly serves as Executive Advisor at the Center for Women’s Mental Health at Mass General Hospital, as well as on the Board of Directors of Postpartum Support International. Kriti is also in the early stages of marrying her lived experience and professional expertise to design new models of care delivery that expand access to perinatal mental health treatment for the most vulnerable, high-acuity individuals who too often fall through the cracks or into crisis-based care settings — all while centering equity, community, and the family experience.
Like What You Heard?
- Subscribe so you never miss an episode
- Leave us a review to share your feedback
- Learn more at sogladyouasked.org
- Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on Instagram for show updates and bonus clips
So Glad You Asked with Dr. Ruta Nonacs is brought to you by the MGH Center for Women's Mental Health and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation.
