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We learn many things from the stories of others. In our quest to spread information, education, and compassion about the many topics we cover on Mom & Mind, it is just as important to hear the lesser-known stories of what people have experienced. Today\u2019s guest shares her story of postpartum-onset bipolar disorder that resulted in postpartum psychosis. Unfortunately, this occurs in more mothers than we are led to believe, and we need more understanding about it. Join us now for a look at this often misunderstood condition.\xa0\n\xa0\nJessica Ekhoff has written a memoir of her experience with postpartum-onset bipolar I disorder and psychosis. Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of Mania will be published in early 2023 by New Degree Press, and it\u2019s available for preorder now. Jessica is a trademark advertising attorney who is a figure skating, board game, and fiction enthusiast. She is a peer facilitator for Postpartum Support International\u2019s support group for pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder. She lives in Chicago with her husband and their young son. Jessica shares her journey with mania and psychosis that began a few days after her son\u2019s birth and landed her in a psychiatric ward.\n\xa0\nShow Highlights:\n\xa0\n\nHow Jessica\u2019s symptoms began after the birth of her son, Wells, in 2021, even though there is no history of bipolar disorder in herself or her family\n\nHow Jessica entered a manic phase that escalated quickly when her son was 2-4 days old\n\nHow Jessica\u2019s husband knew she was acting very much out of character and urged her to call her parents to come help\n\nHow she had delusions that her husband had called DCFS to come to take away her son\n\nWhat Jessica now notices in retrospect about her first four days postpartum\n\nHow she prepared to enter an outpatient therapy program, but Jessica\u2019s condition required hospitalization before the first appointment\n\nHow she felt scattered, confused, and unstable mentally through days 4-10 postpartum until she went into the hospital\n\nWhy Jessica was floored when the doctor revealed to her that SHE was the one who needed help\n\nHow Jessica was convinced that the hospital ward was actually an escape room set up just for her, and later thought God had sent her on a mission there\n\nWhy Jessica began referring to herself as the \u201csuper sad unicorn\u201d during her six-day hospital stay\n\nHow she improved with medication and was finally able to go home to start the intensive outpatient program, even though she was still experiencing mania\n\nHow Jessica felt frustrated by many things at home and her husband\u2019s reactions to her plans\n\nWhat things were like when Jessica returned to work and had to re-enter the intensive program\n\nHow therapy and resources from Postpartum Support International were pivotal in Jessica\u2019s healing and recovery\n\nWhy Jessica decided to write her book, a memoir of her story that stemmed from her journaling practice\n\n\nResources:\n\xa0\nConnect with Jessica: Instagram\nPre-order Jessica\u2019s book:\xa0https://www.jessica-ekhoff.presale.manuscripts.com/\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\n\xa0\nVisit www.postpartum.net for resources!\n\xa0\nVisit my website, www.wellmindperinatal.com, for more information, resources, and courses you can take today!