Despite the importance of regaining social roles during recovery from mental illness, the intersection between motherhood and serious mental illness is often overlooked. This book aims to rectify that neglect. A series of introductory chapters describing current research and services available to mothers with serious mental illness are followed by personal accounts of clients reflecting on their parenting experiences. One goal of the book is to provide clinicians with information that they can use to help patients struggling with questions and barriers in their attempts to parent. The inclusion of personal accounts of mothers on issues such as stigma, fears and discrimination in the context of parenting with a mental illness is intended to promote the message of mental illness recovery to a larger audience as well. Finally, it is hoped that this handbook will help inspire more research on mothers with mental illness and the creation of more services tailored to their needs.

The upheaval of pregnancy and new motherhood can often trigger the development of, or a relapse into, an eating disorder. This book supports pregnant women and new mothers struggling with changes in food, body image, sleep, spirituality, work, breastfeeding (or not), new motherhood identity, and postpartum depression or anxiety. Combining professional expertise, personal experience, and pragmatic suggestions, it is the ideal guide for women who are trying to balance recovery with new motherhood. The author offers recovery tools, support strategies and wisdom on how to make time for self-care while navigating the chaos of early parenthood. Most importantly, this book will help women let go of perfectionistic ideals and embrace being good enough during the massive learning curve of new motherhood.

This text examines the great variey of mental health disorders that can affect women during pregnancy and after giving birth. Issues such as infertility and child abuse are covered and case descriptions and personal accounts are also provided.

'Such a raw, honest and important book' Giovanna Fletcher Like any new mum, Laura Dockrill felt rather overwhelmed after the birth of her son. But a slow recovery, sleep deprivation and anxiety quickly escalated into postpartum psychosis, and she had to spend a fortnight in a psych ward, separated from her family. It was only when Laura began to put her ordeal into words that she began to find herself again, and recovery seemed within reach. This is Laura's raw, honest and life-affirming story of how she made it through one of the most frightening experiences a mother can face. Now, she wants to break down the silence around postnatal mental health, shatter the idealised expectations of perfect motherhood, and show all new struggling parents that they are not alone. 'A book to save a whole generation of women' Adele A pleasure to read...I didn't want to put it down. If anyone is going through a similar experience it will make them feel less alone' Philippa Perry 'A humbingly honest and human war report from the front lines of mothering psychosis and recovery; there is no other book like it' Caitlin Moran 'An incredibly powerful book' Jessie Ware 'This book will give women and their families confidence that the brain and body will heal' Dr Jessica Heron, CEO of Action on Postpartum Psychosis 'An amazing read' Fiona Telford, postpartum psychosis survivor

'Such a raw, honest and important book' Giovanna Fletcher Like any new mum, Laura Dockrill felt rather overwhelmed after the birth of her son. But a slow recovery, sleep deprivation and anxiety quickly escalated into postpartum psychosis, and she had to spend a fortnight in a psych ward, separated from her family. It was only when Laura began to put her ordeal into words that she began to find herself again, and recovery seemed within reach. This is Laura's raw, honest and life-affirming story of how she made it through one of the most frightening experiences a mother can face. Now, she wants to break down the silence around postnatal mental health, shatter the idealised expectations of perfect motherhood, and show all new struggling parents that they are not alone. 'A book to save a whole generation of women' Adele A pleasure to read...I didn't want to put it down. If anyone is going through a similar experience it will make them feel less alone' Philippa Perry 'A humbingly honest and human war report from the front lines of mothering psychosis and recovery; there is no other book like it' Caitlin Moran 'An incredibly powerful book' Jessie Ware 'This book will give women and their families confidence that the brain and body will heal' Dr Jessica Heron, CEO of Action on Postpartum Psychosis 'An amazing read' Fiona Telford, postpartum psychosis survivor

This eBook is a collection of articles from a Frontiers Research Topic. Frontiers Research Topics are very popular trademarks of the Frontiers Journals Series: they are collections of at least ten articles, all centered on a particular subject. With their unique mix of varied contributions from Original Research to Review Articles, Frontiers Research Topics unify the most influential researchers, the latest key findings and historical advances in a hot research area! Find out more on how to host your own Frontiers Research Topic or contribute to one as an author by contacting the Frontiers Editorial Office: frontiersin.org/about/contact.

Motherhood and Mental Illness offers an in-depth, comprehensive relational psychotherapeutic framework to provide effective treatment for those experiencing maternal mental illness. This book addresses a current deficit in mental health resources and treatment and is designed to be an accessible, practical guide into the types and manifests of disorders and the diagnosis, treatment and management of maternal mental illness. It gives a solid understanding of the nature and complexity of maternal mental illness and offers clear guidance on how to provide treatment for successful recovery. Then, using a relational approach, the book offers useful therapeutic interventions grounded in clinical experience and research, which are elucidated with case examples. Covering the most common presentations and the confounders (alcohol, single parenting, drug abuse, self-medication) this is a guide of how to plan treatment, common mistakes that can occur, myths that prevail, and ethical dilemmas. The book will be suitable for psychotherapists and counsellors of any modality as well as any healthcare professionals who have frontline contact with women.