Dissociative Disorders in Postpartum mothers
| Key things to know | What the evidence shows |
|---|---|
| How common is it? | Not established diagnosed DD |
| Is it more common among postpartum mothers? | Childbirth/traumatic delivery can involve acute dissociation; not equivalent to chronic DD |
| Are postpartum mothers at higher risk? | Strong contextual association after traumatic childbirth |
| How much higher is the risk? | Peritraumatic dissociation predicted postpartum PTSD symptoms: aOR 2.61 in a 2026 cohort; this is PTSD risk, not DD prevalence |
| How often can it be missed? | Very High |
| Does it show up differently among postpartum mothers? | Strong Yes contextually |
| How might it look different? | Feeling unreal/detached during birth, altered time perception, fragmented memory or emotional numbing can occur after traumatic delivery |
| What commonly occurs alongside it? | PTSD; postpartum depression/anxiety |
| What can it be confused with? | Acute stress/PTSD; postpartum psychosis; depression; neurological conditions |
| Common screening tool | DES-II — Dissociative Experiences Scale-II |
| Separate screening tool for postpartum mothers | PDEQ — Peritraumatic Dissociative Experiences Questionnaire only for acute childbirth/trauma-related dissociation, not chronic DD |
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