Everyone knows about postpartum depression these days, but what about the opposite? What about when giving birth leads to paranoia, delusions, rage, and a whole range of other symptoms that none of the baby books prepare you for?
In Super Sad Unicorn: A Memoir of Mania, author Jessica Ekhoff describes her experience with postpartum-onset bipolar disorder, mania, and psychosis, rare - and even more rarely discussed - mental health complications of having a baby. Taking readers directly inside the mind of someone experiencing a break from reality, Ekhoff recounts her harrowing first two weeks of motherhood, complete with a stay in a psychiatric ward she was convinced was really an escape room. The ways in which the experience changed her are as surprising as they are hopeful.