Mother's maladies: understanding the intricacies of postpartum psychosis and motherhood through Jerry Pinto's Em and the Big Hoom.

Motherhood, a familiar yet complex phenomenon, is informed by many factors whose consequences for women are often detrimental yet undermined. Particularly in India, discourse surrounding mothers' health often disregards the social and familial expectations and impositions that threaten women's authority over their own bodies. Amidst this, postpartum disorders, particularly the concept of postpartum psychosis, embody the anomalies of medical and social knowledge bases. Addressing the ambiguities and interconnectedness of motherhood and madness, this paper discusses the simplification of postpartum concerns as a biological condition alone and explores the complexities of diagnosis based on Em's aetiologies. Addressing the psychopathological and social nuances of postpartum psychosis, this paper also advocates for destigmatising women's apprehensions regarding the structural obligation of motherhood and broadening the discourse surrounding their reproductive autonomy.