Dissociative Disorders in New parents
| Key things to know | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| How common is it? | NE |
| Is it more common among new parents? | Postpartum itself doesn't cause chronic DD, but traumatic childbirth can precipitate acute dissociation/reveal vulnerability |
| Are new parents at higher risk? | Yes after traumatic childbirth, for dissociative symptoms |
| How much higher is the risk? | Post-birth peritraumatic dissociation → postpartum PTSD aOR 2.61, not DD risk |
| How often can it be missed? | Very High |
| Does it show up differently among new parents? | Strong Yes |
| How might it look different? | Fragmented birth memory, unreality, detachment from body/environment, emotional numbing; pre-existing dissociation may also become more visible |
| What commonly occurs alongside it? | PTSD; depression; anxiety |
| What can it be confused with? | Acute stress/PTSD; postpartum depression; postpartum psychosis |
| Common screening tool | DES-II — Dissociative Experiences Scale-II |
| Separate screening tool for new parents | PDEQ — Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire for traumatic childbirth context only |
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Self-Assessment: Depression
The clinically proven PHQ-7 self-assessment to help you gauge if you might be experiencing signs of depression.
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Check if you might be experiencing or recovering from narcissistic abuse in a relationship.
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