Book Review: Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder

“I was caught in a whirl of racing, obsessive thoughts, which is how many people describe their bouts of mania. Instead of noticing my baby girl’s sweet scent or feeling her rose-petal soft skin, all I could think was, I must write this idea down, and this, and this…,” writes Dyane Harwood. In her new book, Birth of a New Brain: Healing from Postpartum Bipolar Disorder, Harwood offers an unfiltered, unedited and heart-wrenching journey through postpartum bipolar disorder and reminds us all that, even in the seemingly worst circumstances, hope can remain. Harwood’s story begins in the delivery room, a place where mania and hypomania can commonly be mistaken for the elation of bringing a new baby into the world. She writes, “During my two days at Sutter Maternity Hospital, I didn’t say a word to anyone about how I was feeling. My fear of being designated an unfit mother made me keep my disturbing thoughts to myself.” The reality for Harwood was that at the time she gave birth, in 2007, little was known about postpartum depression, mania or bipolar disorder. In Harwood’s case, just days after giving birth, she found herself in a state of hypergrafia, where she was writing manically. “I never knew hypergraphia existed until I experienced it firsthand. When I was hypergraphic, I wrote so much that my wrist cramped up in agonizing pain. I shook it vigorously to stop the aching, but the pain returned within seconds. I couldn’t stop writing for a moment, even wh...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Bipolar Book Reviews Disorders Family General Medications Memory and Perception Motivation and Inspiration Personal Stories Postpartum Depression Psychological Assessment Psychology Stigma Stress Suicide Treatment Women's I Source Type: news