Meghan Cliffel
ON THE RECORD · 16 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“And it wasn't until Friday, December 4th of 2015, when things just dramatically changed for me.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel described the onset of her postpartum psychosis on December 4, 2015.
“There's no shame. And you can get better. It is a beast and it's hard to heal from, and it warrants time and attention. But take that time, because this is a very real, devastating illness.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel urged others affected by postpartum psychosis to take time to heal from the devastating illness.
“I had taken on a lot of work stress, and not quite feeling like myself, but outwardly, I was functioning well,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel described her state before experiencing postpartum psychosis in December 2015.
“The TV starts to change, and it's the face of a male relative of mine, and then he says, 'If she thinks she's getting out of this alive, she's got another thing coming,'”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel described a hallucination in which a male relative's face appeared on her TV threatening her.
“And from that moment on, I am just lost in a totally deluded, terrifying reality, where I believe the entire city is out to get me,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel described the delusions she experienced after her symptoms began in December 2015.
“It's a real illness,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel shared her story publicly amid attention surrounding the Lindsay Clancy trial.
“The risk of recurrence was one-in-three unmedicated,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel described the one-in-three recurrence risk of postpartum psychosis when considering having a third child.
“I actually didn't want to take medication, 'cause I felt like I'd done so much work on myself and our life. My husband was, 'Hard no.' So, I took Lithium prophylactically immediately after birth in the hospital until a year after. And then, honestly, it turned out more beautifully than after my first two. I had, like, so much more joy the third time around.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-06
Meghan Cliffel explained her decision to take Lithium prophylactically after her third child's birth despite initial reluctance.
“I know how healing it is to have somebody finally name what you have.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel discussed the healing effect of naming the illness she experienced.
“We should have a system that actually understands maternal mental health and gives proactive support to all parents and educates them about the things that can happen,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel called for a better system to support maternal mental health.
“It's not like that for postpartum psychosis, so it was a lot of kind of like fumbling around in the dark,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel compared her experience to the clearer treatment pathways for breast cancer patients.
“And so I see this moment,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel referenced the Clancy trial as a moment for reflection on maternal mental health.
“There wasn't a ladder of care [showing] 'this is how you heal from this experience',”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel described the lack of a clear treatment path after her diagnosis.
“I mean, maternal mental health issues are the most common complication of childbirth.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel emphasized that maternal mental health issues are the most common complication of childbirth.
“[as one where] we cannot be surprised when tragedy happens, and instead, we can proactively build to care for mothers and families.”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel continued her thought about proactively supporting mothers and families.
“It feels like an erasure,”
Meghan Cliffel · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-19
Cliffel, who experienced postpartum psychosis, described the lack of DSM-5 recognition.