Julie says delayed help left her on disability pension after postpartum psychosis

Julie Lindbæk Hussain says Denmark’s healthcare system failed to recognise and treat her postpartum psychosis quickly enough, DR reports. Three years after giving birth to her first child, she is receiving a disability pension and says she still feels “run over” by the healthcare system.

“I really thought we had a better system in Denmark. One that would look after women before, during and after giving birth,” she says.

Postpartum psychosis affects about 60 women in Denmark each year, out of around 60,000 births. Several patient organisations and an expert say healthcare professionals need to act more quickly when symptoms appear.

Maria Jørgensen, chair of Sind og Fødsel, a national association for women who have experienced postpartum reactions, says the organisation often hears from women who had to become severely ill before receiving help.

Trine Munk Olsen, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Southern Denmark, also questions whether the healthcare system knows enough about postpartum psychosis. She says healthcare professionals may overlook symptoms such as sleep deprivation.

Unlike postpartum depression, which develops over a longer period, postpartum psychosis can strike suddenly, Munk Olsen says. She adds that rapid intervention is essential because an untreated psychosis can cause a mother to act in ways she normally would not. In rare cases, she may pose a danger to herself or her baby.

According to Sundhed.dk, a mother kills her child in connection with postpartum psychosis once or twice a year.

Jørgensen says mothers can also be traumatised by the severity of the psychosis and the treatment that follows. She rejects the idea that the relatively small number of cases should limit the resources devoted to treatment.

“This is clearly a problem we are not getting rid of. So we have to solve it, even if the numbers are small,” she says. “There are also around 200 cases of meningitis a year, and we do not stop treating those for that reason.”

Julie’s daughter was born in August 2023. A week later, Julie suffered a severe psychotic episode and was admitted to a locked psychiatric ward with the help of police. She says the experience left her with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Julie and her husband, Zaki Lindbæk Hussain, had tried repeatedly to get help during the week between the birth and her admission. Journal notes obtained by DR show that at least seven different healthcare professionals noticed over eight days that Julie was struggling psychologically.

“If I had received help in time, perhaps the first time Zaki called for help, I might not have reached that point,” Julie says.

The Capital Region, responding on behalf of Amager and Hvidovre Hospital, which includes its maternity and psychiatric departments, says it is sorry Julie went through the experience.

“We acknowledge that we could have met her needs better in connection with the birth. But we believe that the healthcare staff acted correctly and according to professional standards in the crucial areas,” the region says.

The region also says some of Julie’s criticism is based on a misunderstanding of the role of its emergency telephone service, which is to refer citizens to relevant healthcare services.

The region says it generally pays close attention to postpartum reactions and has introduced a fixed guideline for cooperation between psychiatric services and maternity departments. It also says the maternity department focuses on vulnerable pregnant women and has a family outpatient clinic with specialised expertise.

DR was unable to interview the region and ask follow-up questions about its written responses. Julie was admitted for a total of one and a half months without her daughter.