Summary

A Dance in the DSM: My Tango with Postpartum Depression, Anxiety, and OCD is a memoir chronicling one mother's journey through mental health struggles. It is a story of hope that mixes the humor of parenting with the horrors of developing a mental health crisis and living with the rare disorder: postpartum OCD.This memoir follows the author through the beginning of her first pregnancy (when she developed peripartum anxiety), through her postpartum experience (when she was diagnosed with postpartum OCD), and throughout her subsequent full recovery (with medication and professional help). She spares no embarrassing detail, including a first person perspective of her nervous breakdown. In an irreverent and humorous voice, Jessica highlights the lack of resources, isolation, and the pressures that new mothers face, and takes readers on her journey to health and happiness.