Postpartum Psychosis - Understanding the Evidence
Description
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious psychiatric emergency that can emerge rapidly following childbirth. Timely recognition and an informed, compassionate response are essential to protecting the wellbeing of both parent and infant.
In this one-hour online webinar, Professor Anne Buist AO and Dr Rebecca Hill will provide an evidence-based and clinically grounded overview of postpartum psychosis. They will explore:
Its prevalence, incidence and known risk factors
How postpartum psychosis may first present
Early warning signs and when clinicians should be concerned
Assessment, treatment and approaches known to support recovery
Common misconceptions and interventions that may be unhelpful
Relevant medicolegal considerations for clinicians and services
The discussion will also consider what can—and cannot—be concluded from highly publicised cases, including recent media attention surrounding the Clancy case in the United States.
Designed for professionals working across perinatal mental health, maternity, primary care, psychiatry, psychology, nursing and allied health, this webinar will offer practical guidance for recognising postpartum psychosis and responding safely, thoughtfully and effectively.
Wednesday 21 October 2026
6.00–7.00 pm AEDT
Online webinar
Attendance is free for Marcé Society members. Non-members are warmly invited to register and attend for $20.
A link to the presentation will be emailed once final details of registrations are confirmed.
Presented by the Australasian Chapter of the Marcé Society for Perinatal Mental Health.
Lineup
Professor Anne Buist AO
Anne Buist AO is the Chair of Women’s Mental Health at the University of Melbourne, currently honorary at Austin Health where she worked for nearly thirty years. She was awarded the Order of Australia in 2026 for her work in perinatal psychiatry and education and mental health awareness. She has over 35 years clinical and research experience in perinatal psychiatry which she has promoted to GPs, nurses and registrars as well as the public; she was director of mother-baby units for much of this time, more recently overseeing an outreach team that works to improve attachment and long term outcomes. In the last year she has worked in acute psychiatry in Queensland and provided cover for a Victorian mother baby inpatient unit. She was director of the beyondblue PND initiative which resulted in Australia wide screening for perinatal depression and anxiety, and has been an investigator on perinatal research projects that gained over seven million dollars in funding. Other research included childhood abuse as a risk factor for perinatal depression (her MD thesis), drug excretion into breastmilk, childbirth trauma and fear, and e-treatments. For the last thirty years, Professor Buist has worked with Protective Services and in forensic/medicolegal aspects of perinatal psychiatry. She was a member of the Victorian Medical Panel assessing injury from 2019 to 2024. She also writes fiction including a series set in a mental health service; The Glass House, The Oasis, and The General Hospital. In 2024 she and her writing partner visited every bookshop in Australia, doing over 100 events promoting mental health awareness, and donated proceeds to local mental health charities. She is a Past President of the Australasian Branch of the Marcé Society.
Dr Rebecca Hill
Dr Rebecca Hill is a Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Unit Head with Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Services, within the CAMHS Division of the Women’s and Children’s Health Network in Adelaide, SA. Clinically she has around 20 years of experience working in perinatal and infant mental health, and is currently based in Helen Mayo House, the only mother-baby inpatient psychiatric unit in South Australia. Rebecca completed her Psychiatry training at the University of Arizona, USA, followed by a year’s Fellowship in Psychopharmacology focused on women’s mental health. Her interest in infant mental health led to the completion of a Graduate Diploma in Infant and Parent Mental Health at the University of Melbourne. Rebecca has researched postpartum psychosis and outcomes for infants in Helen Mayo House, and is undertaking a PhD in the Mother-Infant DBT telehealth project led by A/Prof Anne Sved Williams. She is currently Secretary of the Australasian Branch of the Marcé Society.
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