Date published: 13 July 2026
Like many women giving birth during COVID, Charlotte felt isolated and anxious.
A traumatic birth in restrictive conditions left her debilitated. Exhaustion and depression descended into something even deeper – post partum psychosis.
“I was never a nervous person, but I worried a lot about COVID when I was pregnant,” she recalls. “I’d had an easy labour with my daughter but my son’s birth turned into an emergency. I had flashbacks afterwards. His first weeks were far from the joyful times I’d been looking forward to. I couldn’t see my mum because of COVID restrictions. I felt so isolated.”
Charlotte felt unsafe outside her home. “I could hear voices talking about how I looked and how I was as a mum. I was having very dark thoughts. I was at the point of no return – I felt like I wanted to die.”
Her health visitor recognised signs of psychosis and contacted Mersey Care’s Early Intervention team. “They were like a ray of light,” she says. “Looking back, I was one step away from taking my own life, but I was also one step away from help.”
If only more people realised how much help is out there and how it is possible to get your life back on track. Before I became ill, I would have said psychosis was caused by drugs or homelessness. But if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
Hallucinations – where someone sees, hears, tastes or feels things that don’t exist outside their mind
Delusions – where someone has an unshakeable belief in something which is not true. They may believe that a person or an organisation is making plans to hurt or kill them. Or they may think they have power or authority like being the president of a country or being able to bring people back from the dead.
Confusion or muddled thinking – this may include rapid and constant speech, switching from one topic to another mid-sentence or a sudden loss in train of thought.
Imagine seeing or hearing things others can’t or thinking that your loved ones want to harm you. This can be the terrifying, all encompassing reality for the one in ten of us who experience psychosis.
Celebrities like chef Heston Blumenthal, Bridgerton star Ruby Barker and actor David Harewood have all spoken about their own psychotic episodes.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Debbie Marsden from Mersey Care’s Early Intervention team provides intensive support for people aged 4 to 65 experiencing psychosis for the first time.
She’s on a mission to end stigma and misunderstanding about the condition.
“We discuss anxiety and depression quite openly now, which is great. Yet there is still a silence and stigma around psychosis. The term ‘psychotic’ is frequently misused, which can lead people to believe that someone with psychosis is a risk to others. But we know they’re more likely to harm or neglect themselves. Psychosis will affect one in ten people in the UK and really can happen to anyone. We want people to know it’s often a normal reaction to abnormal or traumatic life events.
“Someone experiencing psychosis may hear voices or have jumbled thoughts or hallucinations. They can believe someone is reading their mind or feel they are being followed or monitored. They may lose touch with reality and struggle to keep up with daily life.”
Early diagnosis and treatment is crucial says Debbie. “If we can support someone early to get back to work or college, help them get physically healthier and keep good relationships with friends and family, they less likely to be trapped in a ‘revolving door’ of recurring mental health problems and relapses.”
Alongside prescribing medication and therapies, the team works with The Life Rooms to offer ways for people with psychosis to feel less isolated. They can help with debt and housing issues too and signpost to addiction services where needed.
Debbie calls on friends and family to help. “Psychotic experiences feel so real that a person may not realise that they are unwell. Friends and family are often the first to notice something is wrong. I’d urge anyone who spots signs to get help quickly. With early support, the person can get treatment and get back their life.”