Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder

When a newborn enters the house, parents are preparing to face many changes.

The new routines replace the old ones and life quickly becomes a mixture of precious memories and dirty diapers.

Being a parent can be a joy, but it can also be a terrifying experience. It involves many important responsibilities, and the thought of being responsible for the protection and care of a new vulnerable life can intimidate, if not even frightened.

What is the obsessive post-partum-compulsive disorder?

For some parents (mothers and fathers in the same way), the new parental condition can trigger a Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorderthat is, a surprisingly common anxiety disorder that is associated with violent and disturbing thoughts, images or impulses.

Symptoms can start suddenly after the arrival of the newborn at home, or pre -existing symptoms can be exasperated by new parental responsibilities.

The aggressive obsessions and the sexual obsessions They are particularly common. In particular, the former can understand the fear of causing intentional or accidental damage to the newborn.

He imagines that a mother of a newborn with frequent colic, frustrated by the cry of her baby, has the mental image of herself who throws him down the stairs or from the window.

This thought comes unexpectedly and is perceived as dangerous, significantly upsetting the woman, who can start thinking: “Why do I have this thought? Does this mean that I could hurt my baby? What would happen if I lost control and had to really throw my baby down the stairs? Mothers shouldn’t have thoughts like this ”.

In response to these thoughts, he will avoid going close to the stairs as he keeps his child in his arms or will start keeping him very tight whenever he approaches you.

Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder-unwanted thoughts concerning accidents.

Another common symptom of obsessive post-partum disorder It is the applicant and intrusive concern that something bad can happen to the child.

For example, a parent can have recurrent thoughts or intrusive images of the little one who suffocates or chokes in his cradle and can think: “It is my responsibility to prevent every damage that could happen to my son. If I have such a thought, it is important that it is important that it can only check me to make sure that my son is well. After all, this is what a good parent should do. If I fear things like that and I will not control, it will happen to my child.”

In response to these thoughts, it is possible that the parent performs numerous check to make sure the child is fine.

These may occur several hundred times a day. Whenever a new doubt insinuates himself, the parent feels obliged to check again, just to reassure himself.

Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder-unwanted sexual thoughts

A very common third symptom of the Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder implies the presence of unwanted sexual thoughts on their child.

These usually occur during the change of the diaper or during the bath and can consist of thoughts (e.g. “What would happen if I touched my child inappropriately? And if I was excited?”), Sexual images that involve the child or impulses to act sexually inadequately.

A father with this type of obsessionsFor example, it might think: “What kind of person has thoughts like this? This means that I am a pedophile or that I could be able to harass my son? They are sick thoughts. I shouldn’t have thoughts like this”.

In response to such unwanted thoughts, the father could begin to avoid the child.

The avoidance can be particularly evident compared to those situations where you can see the naked child (for example, during the change of the diaper, while bathing, in the change of clothes).

Parents with post-partum sexual obsessions often avoid physical contact with the child (for example, embrace the child, keep the child sitting on his knees) or being alone with the child.

Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder-features

In previous examples, a spontaneous and unexpected thought gives rise to the fear that the parent can represent a threat to the child or that he can act in such a way as to put him at risk.

Parents with Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder They have no desire or intention to harm the child, however the appearance of an unwanted or threatening thought leads them to question their intentions, their morals or his own suitability to play the role of parent.

Despite these fears, the obsessive post-parto disorder It is not associated with an increase in the risk of hurting children or babies.

As with all forms of Obsessive-compulsive disorderthis type of disorder also includes rituals and avoidance behaviors in response to obsessions, such as control behaviors, washing behaviors, situational avoidance and mental rituals.

These behaviors maintain the symptoms of the disorder, because they prevent the discontent of the incorrect beliefs related to the obsessions themselves.

Given the way in which the Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder It works, more intensely the parent examines unwanted thoughts, the more aggravate its disorder. The more the person tries to understand the reason why these thoughts appear, or seeking the way they cease, more frequently the thought will reappear.

Parents suffering from a serious Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder They can have unwanted thoughts concerning their almost constant child.

Symptoms can cause the parent to be terrified of spending time with the child, and this can affect the bond and can devastate the father/mother-child relationship.

Since the aggressive obsessions and the sexual obsessions I am clearly contrasting with how much the new parents feel that they “have” try, the symptoms of obsessive disorder are often the cause of a large amount of guilt, shame and confusion.

Due to the nature of the symptoms, the Obsessive-compulsive post-partum disorder It often translates into extreme insulation, alienation and depression and sometimes it is a trigger for the separation or divorce of parents.

Even if many people are aware of the existence of post-partum depression, very few are familiar with the obsessive post-partum disorderwhich however affects about 2.6 % of mothers.

The symptoms of this disorder can be so disturbing that only a few manage to express themselves clearly about what they are experiencing. They fear the looks of horror and disgust of loved ones, the possibility that their children can be taken away, or that doctors can decree that they are “crazy” and hospitalize them.

The reality is that, just like other forms of Obsessive-compulsive disorderthe post-partum one is also curable. First choice treatment is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which provides techniques expressly designed for symptoms of this type.

Some features characteristic of the obsessive post-partum-compulsive disorder

The most common symptoms of obsessive post-partum disorder They include fears to accidentally or intentionally damage their child.

• Fear of acting following an unwanted impulse and hurting or killing your child.
• Fear of stabbing your child.
• Fear of beating your child with death.
• Fear of suffocating the child.
• Fear of shaking the child to death.
• Fear that you can lose control and drown the baby during the bath.
• Fear of acting sexually inappropriately towards the child, during the change of the diaper, the bath or while you are dressing it.
• Fear that one can secretly want to harass the child.
• Fear of improperly touch your child.
• Fear of being sexually attracted to your child.
• Fear that one’s irresponsibility will lead to the death of the child.
• Fear of accidentally poisoning your child for not having correctly cleaned the bottle or games.
• Fear of accidentally exposing the child to chemicals (for example, cleaning products).
• Fear that if you don’t control your child enough, this can suddenly die (for example for SIDS)
• Fear of suffocating your child or that it suffocates due to their negligence.
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