This isn't going to be a popular post so be prepared.
I believe in the diagnosis of post partum depression and psychosis.
During teen years, pms, early in a pregnancy, just after giving birth, and during menopause hormones do make people pretty nuts. Depression, tears and confusion are pretty common. We all hear about most of those, many of us have talked about it. Most of us consider ourselves pretty 'normal'. But the hormonal changes affect each of us to different degrees. For some of us, we get the 'blues'. For others, we spend a lot of time crying. To others it may come out as argumentiveness or agression. When the hormonal levels even up, we go back to normal and secretly wonder why everyone else is making such a big deal of our 'little mood swings'. Or even that maybe it was all their fault, though we might admit to overreacting a little.
But just after birth the homone changes can cause disordered thinking so severe that it can cause psychosis. Usually in a psychosis the mother will either believe that the child is evil or was destined not to be born. She doesn't recognize that the evil is in her, not the child. And the evil is the hormones that are affecting her preceptions and reactions.
Post partum psychosis is a person who has had reactions to hormone levels so extreme that they have lost touch with reality. Meaning they may still know how to conduct the activities of daily living, but they are unable to comprehend that it isn't the fault of the child, only themselves and their own hormone levels.
Yes I also believe that with treatment and medication these women can be rehabilitated. And after treatment they will go through the most horrific time of their lives.... facing up to what has happened.
I suffer from depression normally. And with my first pregnancy they watched me carefully for post partum depression. But actually things worked out that I didn't have any problems.
With my second pregnancy I wasn't under psychiatric care. And I think I did have a period of undiagnosed post partum depression. Which means I was at risk of post partum psychosis. Luckily it didn't go that far. But my history of depression and my experiences with pregnancy does make me believe that post partum depression is reality and that it isn't that big a step to post partum psychosis.