There is of course a wider impact of pseudocyesis, as it not only affects the person suffering from the condition itself.
PARTNERS – can find it hard to rationalise the experiences that their partner is going through. Partners often find themselves needing to be ‘the rock’ that stands strong and supports their partner through their pseudocyesis, whilst they themselves are feeling confused, frightened and isolated by what has occurred. They may wonder why their partner is ‘acting’ this way when there is no apparent cause – it is important to remember that there is a cause, academics and clinicians just haven’t figured out what it is yet.
OTHER CHILDREN – Other children especially young children may not fully understand what has happened. It is important to remember that particularly for a young child who was expecting a little brother or sister to play with, that they may have difficulty processing the fact that the expected sibling is not actually going to arrive as expected. This can lead to feelings of anger, resentment and rejection on the child’s part and it will be important that it is made very clear to the child that what has happened is not their fault.
CLINICIANS AND MEDICAL STAFF – Clinicians and medical staff naturally form bonds with their patients and invest their time and energy into looking after. Emotional involvement in a patient’s well-being is normal and therefore experiencing an ‘emotional fallout’ when things go against patients is also normal.
