An inexact, general term for any type of psychosis occurring within 90 days after childbirth.
A psychosis that develops during the 6 months following childbirth, the highest incidence being in the third to sixth day after delivery through the first month postpartum. The symptoms and signs include hallucinations, delusions, preoccupation with death, self-mutilation, infanticide, distorted reality, and interpersonal dependency. Therapies used to treat this condition include estrogens, electroconvulsive therapies, lithium, and neuroleptic drugs.