
Dr. Emily Guarnotta
PsyD, PMH-C
Dr. Emily is a clinical psychologist licensed to practice in over 40 states through psypact, a certified perinatal mental health specialist (PMH-C), and the founder of Phoenix Health. She created Phoenix Health to make specialized mental health care accessible to every parent.
Articles reviewed by Dr. Emily Guarnotta

What Hospitalization for Postpartum Psychosis Is Actually Like
If you or someone you love is facing inpatient psychiatric hospitalization for postpartum psychosis, here's what actually happens, from the ER admission to discharge planning.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis Treatment: What to Expect Next at Each Stage
Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency, but it is treatable. Here's what the full treatment arc looks like, from the ER through hospital discharge and beyond.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis: What Families Need to Do Right Now
If someone you love may be experiencing postpartum psychosis, every hour matters. Here's exactly what to do, from the emergency room to discharge and beyond.
Read article β
Finding Outpatient Care After a Postpartum Psychosis Hospitalization
Discharge from the hospital is not the end of treatment, it's the beginning of a new phase. Here's exactly how to find outpatient psychiatric and therapy support after a postpartum psychosis hospitalization.
Read article β
Building Your Care Team After Postpartum Psychosis
Recovery from postpartum psychosis requires a coordinated team of providers, not just one. Here's who you need, what each person does, and how to find them.
Read article βRisk Factors for Postpartum Psychosis: Who Is Most Vulnerable
Postpartum psychosis is not random. Certain risk factors significantly increase the likelihood of an episode. Understanding them enables preparation and monitoring.
Read article βRecovery After Postpartum Psychosis: What the Healing Process Looks Like
Most women fully recover from postpartum psychosis. The path involves medical stabilization, emotional processing, and rebuilding, and it is more supported than many people realize.
Read article βIf Your Partner Had Postpartum Psychosis: A Guide for Families
Partners and families carry a heavy burden when postpartum psychosis strikes. This guide addresses what you experienced, what recovery looks like, and how to support healing together.
Read article βPostpartum Psychosis vs. Postpartum Depression: Understanding the Difference
Postpartum psychosis and postpartum depression are both perinatal mood conditions, but they differ fundamentally in severity, presentation, and the urgency of the response they require.
Read article βWhat Is Postpartum Psychosis? Signs, Timeline, and What to Do
Postpartum psychosis is a rare but serious psychiatric emergency that requires immediate care. Learn the signs, who is at risk, and what recovery looks like.
Read article β
Managing Bipolar Disorder While Pregnant: The Truth About Perinatal Mood Episodes
You're sitting in your OB's waiting room, pregnancy test still fresh in your mind, and the familiar weight of a question you've carried for years settles heavier: What happens to my bipolar disorder now?
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis Treatment: What Recovery Actually Involves
Postpartum psychosis requires emergency psychiatric care. Here's what treatment involves, what recovery looks like, and what ongoing support is needed.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis: Recognizing the Early Warning Signs
Postpartum psychosis is rare, but it moves fast. Knowing the early warning signs, in yourself or someone you love, can make the difference between getting help quickly and a crisis that escalates.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis: How to Get Help and What Recovery Looks Like
Most people who receive proper treatment for postpartum psychosis make a full recovery. This guide covers how to get help, what treatment involves, and what to expect in the weeks and months that follow.
Read article β
After Postpartum Psychosis: What Recovery Actually Looks Like
The acute phase is over. Now what? Recovery from postpartum psychosis involves more than medication and time, it includes processing what happened, rebuilding your sense of self, and finding support for the grief the experience leaves behind.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis: Where to Get Help Right Now
Postpartum psychosis is a medical emergency. This page tells you exactly what to do, step by step, if you or someone you love needs help right now.
Read article β
Fear of Hospitalization Is Keeping Some Postpartum Psychosis Cases Untreated
The fear of being hospitalized, and what that might mean for your baby, is real. It's also keeping people from getting treatment that would let them recover and come home. Here's what hospitalization actually involves.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis vs. Postpartum Depression: How to Tell the Difference
Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are completely different conditions that require completely different responses. Knowing which is which could be urgent.
Read article β
How to Help a Loved One Who May Have Postpartum Psychosis
If you're watching someone you love show signs of postpartum psychosis, you may feel terrified and unsure what to do. Here's how to respond, what to watch for, and when to act.
Read article β
Postpartum Psychosis: What to Do If You Think Someone Is Experiencing It
Postpartum psychosis is a psychiatric emergency. Here's how to recognize it, what to do immediately, and what treatment and recovery involve.
Read article β
Decoding Pregnancy Jitters vs. Clinical Anxiety: Know the Difference
Pregnancy is often painted as a time of pure joy and glowing anticipation. And while thereβs so much excitement, letβs be honest: it can also bring a whirlwind of "what ifs" and new concerns youβve never navigated before. Many expectant mothers feel the societal pressure for a "glowing" pregnancy, wβ¦
Read article β
"Touched Out": A Guide to Managing Sensory Overload as a New Mom
Feeling "touched out" as a new mom? Understand postpartum sensory overload, its symptoms, causes, and get actionable strategies for managing overwhelm and finding relief.
Read article β
"He Doesn't Understand": What to Do When Your Husband Is Not Supportive Postpartum
Postpartum resentment toward your husband is real and more common than anyone admits. Here's what's happening between you β and what actually helps.
Read article β
The Unspoken Grief of a Chemical Pregnancy: Your Loss is Real
You saw the line. It was faint, but it was there. Your heart raced with a joy that felt sacred and overwhelming. Then, days later, it was goneβas if it had never happened at all. But you know it did happen. And now you're left wondering if you're allowed to grieve something the world can barely see.
Read article β
Transitioning from One Child to Two: Preparing for the Emotional Shift
You're staring at the positive pregnancy test, and instead of pure joy, you feel something closer to panic. Will I love them the same? Am I ruining my first child's life? How will I manage two kids when one already feels overwhelming?
Read article βReady to get support?
Our PMH-C certified therapists specialize in perinatal mental health and can typically see you within a week.