Sleep disturbance as a marker of postpartum psychosis risk: a prospective actigraphy study (Protti, 2025)
Chiara Petrosellini, Sofia H. Eriksson, Nicholas Meyer, Edwin Antony, Olivia Protti, Lucinda Donaldson, Vincent van Hees, Aviva Petrie, Andrew McQuillin & Dimitrios Siassakos
BMC Psychiatry volume 25, Article number: 569 (2025) Cite this article
Postpartum Psychosis (PP) is a severe perinatal psychiatric disorder affecting 1–2 in 1000 individuals following childbirth. Most episodes emerge within the first two weeks postpartum and commonly present with mania and decreased need for sleep. The postnatal period is a time of profound sleep disruption and sleep deprivation is a known trigger for mania and psychosis. Despite growing recognition of the role of sleep in the onset and progression of PP, this relationship remains poorly understood. Existing research is largely retrospective, relies on self-reported data and primarily focuses on women with pre-existing bipolar disorder. This prospective study will integrate subjective and objective sleep measures to investigate the relationship between sleep disturbance and postnatal mania. We aim to establish whether sleep patterns in late pregnancy or the early postpartum period can predict mania as a marker of PP.