Christine Dorris, a Billings woman who experienced postpartum psychosis firsthand, says she's been watching a national murder trial closely — one that has put the rare but severe mental health condition in front of a wider public audience than it's seen in years. Dorris, who has written about her experience and advocates for awareness of the condition, said the trial is prompting conversations she hopes will lead to better support for mothers in crisis.
Postpartum psychosis affects a small percentage of new mothers but can cause hallucinations, delusions, and severe disorientation — symptoms that are often misunderstood or misidentified by families and medical providers. Dorris said her own episode shaped the writing she continues today and motivates her to speak publicly about a condition that rarely gets serious attention outside of medical settings.
The trial has not been heard in Montana, but advocates here say the attention it's drawing is meaningful. For families in Helena and across the state navigating postpartum mental health, resources remain limited and awareness is uneven. Dorris said she hopes the national conversation forces a reckoning with how the medical and legal systems treat mothers who experience psychiatric breaks after giving birth.