BILLINGS- Christine Dorris sits in her Billings living room, writing notes for her next book. Her writing is rooted in an experience she knows firsthand: postpartum psychosis.
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She’s one of many watching a national murder trial that’s putting a rare but potentially devastating postpartum mental health condition in the spotlight.
Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother, is accused of killing her three young children. Her defense has centered in part on claims that she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.
The case is prompting a broader conversation about postpartum mental health, warning signs and whether mothers have enough support when they experience severe psychiatric symptoms after childbirth.
For Dorris, the conversation is deeply personal.
The Billings mother has experienced postpartum psychosis herself and says her journey has shaped how she views the need for early intervention and support.
“There are two bright lights in my life,” Dorris said, referring to her daughters, Courtney and Cambria. “It’s magical, and I cherish every second of it.”
Dorris had Courtney when she was 16.
“I had Courtney at 16 years old, and I had no idea that, that would save my life,” she said.
After Courtney was born, Dorris experienced postpartum depression but said she was able to manage it.
Eleven years later, her pregnancy with Cambria was different.
“My body was failing during pregnancy,” she said.
Dorris says she was also dealing with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, a condition involving severe mood symptoms related to hormonal changes.
“It was a clash of that PMDD and the post-natal psychosis,” she said.
After giving birth, Dorris said she spent a long period pretending she was OK.
“I was pretending I was okay for a long time because I had already done it before,” she said. “And who has time for that, you know?”
Eventually, Dorris says she became deeply immersed in psychosis and went through a pivotal moment in her journey to healing, after she was arrested and spent 14 days in jail.
“I was failed by the system,” Dorris said.
She eventually learned more about PMDD and began managing her condition through medication and therapy.
Today, Dorris says recognizing her own baseline and communicating with the people closest to her are important parts of staying well.
“When I know my baseline is up and down, I have to verbalize this with my loved ones and being completely honest with my loved ones,” she said.
Dorris says her daughters are safe and that her own experience has given her perspective as the national conversation surrounding postpartum psychosis unfolds.
She says she recognizes some of the themes being discussed in the Clancy case, including isolation, anxiety and the pressure new mothers can feel to continue functioning.
“What she did was tragic and we can’t erase that, but she can’t either,” Dorris said. “We can’t keep criminalizing mental health. There must be another solution.”
Dorris has turned her experience into a book titled "Almost Made It", initially to document what happened to her.
“When I was in that psychosis, they didn’t believe me,” she said. “I had to get multiple drug tests done, and I had to document it all.”
Now, she hopes the book can serve another purpose: helping other mothers recognize potential warning signs and seek help.
“It’s prevention,” Dorris said. “We have to have our toolkit.”
Postpartum psychosis is rare, affecting about one to two women for every 1,000 births. Symptoms can include hallucinations, severe mania, confusion and depression.
For Dorris, sharing her story is ultimately about making sure other mothers have access to information and support before they reach a crisis point.
