Qualitative exploration of the effect of a television soap opera storyline on women with experience of postpartum psychosis

Background: Postpartum Psychosis (PP) has recently been the focus of an in-depth storyline on a British television soap opera watched by millions of viewers.
Aims: This research explored how the storyline and the concomitant increase in public awareness of PP have been received by women who have recovered from the condition.
Method: Nine semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were conducted with women who had experienced PP. Thematic analysis consistent with Braun and Clarke’s six-step approach was employed to generate themes from the data.
Results: Public exposure provided by the PP portrayal was deemed highly valuable, while its mixed reception encompassed potentially therapeutic benefits in addition to harms.
Conclusions: Public awareness of PP strongly impacts women who have experienced PP. This research highlights the complexity of using the medium of television drama for public education and may enable mental health organisations to better focus future practices of raising PP awareness.