The Blanket of the Dark is a psychological thriller that explores the horrors of postpartum psychosis, a rare but serious illness a new mother can experience in the days and weeks following the birth of her child. The film is an intimate portrayal of the psychology of a new mother suffering from the hallucinations and delusions that are symptoms of this horrific and oftentimes undiagnosed illness. In the end, motherhood for women with undiagnosed postpartum psychosis is anything but joyful, and can lead to suicide and murder. This paper is a candid analysis, a production report as it were, of the making of my thesis film, The Blanket of the Dark. I will begin with an introduction to how The Blanket of the Dark came to be, and then dive into a detailed plot analysis along with “behind-the-scenes” accounts of my thoughts and experiences on screenwriting, preproduction, production and postproduction process. All documents used during production are included in the appendix. I hope that future filmmakers will read my about my journey and know that, while filmmaking is one of the most challenging experiences anyone can have and questions about their talents and merits may arise, the insecurities and perceived impossibilities are hurdles that any filmmaker can overcome.

Cette recherche vise à donner une approche des troubles psychiques de la puerpéralité à partir de la psychanalyse d’orientation lacanienne. Ce travail se forge aussi comme une réponse aux idéaux de notre époque d’effacer toute la subjectivité des êtres parlants. Le pari de ce travail est donc d’élaborer une clinique prête à accueillir la subjectivité de chacune, tout en s’éloignant des théories valables pour toutes. Au-delà de la dialectique cause-effet et des conceptualisations des maladies puerpérales très définies et tranchées, on cherche à élucider les effets divers que l’événement de la maternité peut susciter et la façon dont chaque sujet peut renouer la déstabilisation provoqué par cet événement ; dès symptômes les plus anodins jusqu’aux déclenchements psychotiques les plus ravageants. Une telle orientation nous permet d’aborder ces diverses réponses à l’événement de la maternité d’une manière qui rend compte de l’unicité du sujet en question. / This investigation aims to provide a Lacanian approach to postpartum mental disorders. As such, our work responds to the dominant ideals of our epoch – that of erasing the unique subjectivity of each speaking being. The establishment of our clinical approach is based around a central wager, that of being able to welcome the subjectivity of everyone, all the while renouncing universal theories, which would be equally valid for all. Beyond the dialectic of cause-effect and conceptualizations of well defined and differentiated postpartum disorders, we seek to elucidate the diverse effects of the event of maternity; to elucidate the diverse ways in which each subject might come together again in the aftermath provoked by this event, from the most innocent symptoms to the most ravaging psychotic breaks. Such an orientation permits us to conceive of these diverse responses the event of maternity in a manner that takes into account the uniqueness of the subject in question.

Postpartum depression affects some 10% to 20% of mothers. Its impact on the health and well-being of mothers and their infants is well documented. If not identified and addressed early, it can result in emotional burden, costly hospitalization and treatment, and, at worst, suicide and or infanticide. Empowerment theory was the conceptual framework for this hermeneutic phenomenological study. The purpose was to understand the lived experiences of the screening and treatment processes of 10 women from New York City experiencing postpartum depression and their perceived adequacy of the treatment received. In-depth interviews were used to investigate participants' lived experiences of the screening and treatment processes for their postpartum depression and to explore the extent to which they percieved that their emotional needs were met. From the responses to the interview questions, 6 themes emerged: crying and stress during and after pregnancy, inadequate assessment, feeling bad or unlike oneself, lack of understanding, needing to cope, and prayer was essential for recovery. Participants had tearfulness that began during pregnancy and intensified during the postpartum period, were ineffectively assessed, exhibited bizarre behaviors that could not be explained, had little understanding of what they were experiencing, and were sometimes misunderstood by others. Further, participants at times sought treatment on their own in order to cope. Some reported that prayer was central to the restoration of their mental health. Insights gained through this study can be utilized to foster positive social change by heightening awareness and assisting health care providers in planning appropriate screening and treatment to meet the individual needs of women with postpartum depression.

Postpartumpsykos är ett akut psykiatriskt tillstånd som drabbar ungefär 0,1-0,2 procent av alla nyförlösta kvinnor. Postpartumpsykos uppstår vanligen mellan dag tre och dag tio efter förlossningen och symtom kan innefatta ångest, irritabilitet, sömnsvårigheter, vanföreställningar och hallucinationer. Tillståndet är allvarligt och kräver inneliggande vård och behandling. När en kvinna drabbas av postnatal psykisk ohälsa är det sedan tidigare känt att även närstående till henne påverkas negativt. Syftet med denna litteraturöversikt är att beskriva kvinnor och deras närståendes upplevelser av postpartumpsykos. En icke-systematisk litteraturöversikt användes som metod för att besvara arbetets syfte. Studier med kvalitativ ansats inkluderades i litteraturöversiktens resultatsammanställning. Totalt inkluderades 13 artiklar där det efter sammanställning identifierades tre huvudteman med tre underteman vardera. Huvudteman som identifierades följde sjukdomsförloppets utveckling över tid: insjuknandet och sjukdomen, behandling och vårdtiden, återhämtning och tiden efter sjukdomen. Resultatet visade att insjuknandet till en början upplevdes som något diffust där närstående hade svårt att förstå att något var allvarligt fel. Sedan utvecklade kvinnorna allvarliga psykotiska symtom vilka präglades av paranoia och vanföreställningar om sin omvärld. Känslor och tankar av skuldbeläggande karaktär uppstod hos både kvinnorna och de närstående där de upplevde ett behov av att leta efter svar på varför de drabbats av sjukdomen. Behandlingen och vårdtiden upplevdes som en prövande tid för både kvinnorna och deras närstående. Kvinnorna var ofta separerade från sina barn och självständigt ansvar hamnade på de närstående avseende. omhändertagande av barn och hem. Ett stort behov av stöd identifierades där upplevelsen av detta varierade beroende på vilken behandling kvinnan erhöll. Att hela familjen inkluderades i behandlingen var viktigt för att ha en god upplevelse av vårdtiden. När kvinnorna skrevs ut från heldygnsvård och återvände till hemmet upplevdes det som en utmanande tid och behovet av fortsatt stöd var stort för att främja återhämtningen. De psykotiska symtomen minskade under denna tid men kunde i stället övergå i depressiva symtom. Social interaktion var en viktig del under återhämtningen och upplevelsen av hur relationerna kvinnorna och de närstående emellan hade förändrats var i stort fokus under denna period. Slutsatsen av studien visade upplevelsen av de utmaningar kvinnor med postpartum psykos och hennes närstående ställdes inför i samband med pykosen. Skam- och skuldkänslor upplevdes av både kvinnorna och deras närstående. Behovet av förbättringar gällande kunskap om tillståndet både i allmänhet och inom hälso- och sjukvården identifierades. Delaktighet och information inom vård och behandling önskades av deltagarna. Vikten av stöd under vårdtiden och återhämtningen var betydelsefull för kvinnan och hennes närstående. / Postpartum psychosis is a serious condition that affects approximately 0,1-0,2 % of all women postpartum. The women who develop the condition need inpatient care and often experience symptoms such as anxiety, irritability, lack of sleep, delusions, and hallucinations. When women develop postnatal mental illness it is previously known that their next of kin also suffer during this time. This study aimes to describe women and their next of kins' experience of postpartum psychosis. A non-systematic literature review was chosen as method for this study. The articles that the authors included were of a qualitative approach. A total of thirteen articles were included in the result and three main themes were identified within the data; becoming ill, treatment and hospital stay and recovery and aftermath. Findings of the results shows that becoming ill is often experienced as something diffuse which led to that neither the women or her next of kin could tell that something serious was going on. The women later developed psychotic symptoms such as paranoia and delusions. The feeling of guilt was identified as a powerful emotion. The time spent at the hospital was identified as a difficult time for both the women who often felt isolated and not being able to see their children, but also for her next of kin who now was taking care of the newborn baby. Information and participation in the treatment were identified as important for both the women and her next of kin during the hospital stay. Support needs were identified in both groups. The recovery was experienced as a tough time for the women and social interaction was found to be an important part of the recovery. During the aftermath, many participants experienced a change in their relationships. The conclusion of this study illustrates the challenging experience of postpartum psychosis. Feelings of shame and guilt were experienced by both the women and next of kin. Improvements are needed in awareness of this condition and a lack of qualification is experienced in the healthcare system. Support needs and including family during the hospital care is desirable for both the women and her next of kin'.