As the Lindsay Clancy case highlights postpartum psychosis, a mom stricken by it shares her story of hope

About two weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Bridget María Chesterton found herself curled up on the bathroom floor, uttering nonsensical words. In the emergency room, she kept repeating, "What's going on?", having lost touch with reality. Her family later learned that Chesterton had developed postpartum psychosis, a severe mental health disorder that has received attention due to the case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman on trial for fatally strangling her three children.

Researchers estimate that postpartum psychosis, a mental health emergency less common than postpartum depression, affects 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 women after delivery. While most women who develop this condition do not harm their children, those with severe cases may attempt self-harm or harm to their offspring. For Chesterton, medication and strong family support were crucial in preventing her situation from spiraling out of control.

Chesterton vehemently dismisses online comments that suggest postpartum psychosis is not a genuine disorder. She feels compelled to raise awareness by openly sharing her personal experience, as her poem about the ordeal will be published in a journal later this year. Chesterton aims to dispel misconceptions about this widely misunderstood condition and provide hope to families, stating, "It's something we do not talk about as a society."

A 52-year-old history professor living outside Buffalo, New York, Chesterton emphasizes that she is not ashamed of what happened and wants people to be aware of this often-overlooked issue.