One of this year’s Eastenders upcoming Christmas storylines will focus on Stacey Branning as scenes show her battling with mental illness.
The Mirror reports that soap bosses have been working with a number of different charities to become informed on postpartum psychosis, a condition which can affect new mothers.
Postpartum psychosis occurs after childbirth and can cause intense mood swings, delusions and hallucinations.
Stacey is due to give birth before Christmas
In an effort to learn more about postpartum psychosis, Stacey, played by Lacey Turner and producers from the show have spoken to women who have experienced the condition.
Fans of the soap will know that Stacey was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2009 and the show’s producer Dominic Treadwell Collins said the soap “has always had a big commitment to Stacey’s story”.
“This time we want to explore the effects of postpartum psychosis on those with bipolar – something which, although a rare illness, is unfortunately more common when mothers with bipolar give birth – and look at what we are doing as a country to help mothers experiencing this” continued Collins.
Stacey pictured with Kush’s mum Carmel
Claire Dolam of Bipolar UK also lent her support to the cause: “There is a very high risk that women with bipolar will become ill when they have a child and 20-25% of them will have a postpartum psychosis so it’s fantastic that EastEnders are raising awareness of this devastating condition.
“When it happens it’s a psychiatric emergency, and yet it’s eminently treatable and the vast majority of women recover to be great mothers”.
