I agree 100%. When my wife was going through her brief depression, I could not take time off from work to stay and help. Luckily, my in-laws were there to help out so it was nice because there was always someone else there with her. I do not think that my wife was as sick as this lady or Andrea Yates, but when there is such a wide shift in the chemical balance of the brain, there's no telling what could happen. My wife also mentioned that the fact that the days were getting shorter and it was getting darker earlier (my daughter was born in 2001 in early November) was really bumming her out. What was also strange was that my wife, who is usually very outgoing and likes visits from people, absolutely did not want anyone coming over. Thank goodness it was short lived and eventually my wife had to return to work and her normal self. Not to turn this into a D&D thread, but I also agree in regards to Russell Yates. I honestly believe he could have done more to help prevent what happened in his case. Granted, he made sure that Andrea was getting medical treatment...but I think his expectations of his wife were ridiculous. I believe he had some part in causing her problems.
I love my wife with all my heart but if she ever did something even remotely like that to our children I would literally kill her. That goes for anyone else as well. It would be a long and painful death too. I'd drag it out over a week. At that point, I wouldnt care if I went to jail or what happened after that. People can mess with me all they want but dont even look at my kids funny and God forbid anyone ever hurt or abuse them. The fury of hell will look like a vacation compared to what I would do.
I just read this a couple of minutes ago...There are some sick f*cking b*tches...I know PPD is a real disease, but damn, harm yourself, not innocent children...
Look how people on this board act. It is the same thing. They are in denial that postpartum depression could cause this to happen. I think the term "depression" makes the simple-minded and ignorant think "the woman is just sad". Actually it is a condition, like Jeff said:
PPD is fairly common simply from hormonal changes after childbirth. But it is usually not THAT severe, afterall, who hasn't been through some depression at some point. And yet, we manage not to kill anyone. What strikes me as unusual about this case is that the baby was 11 months old. PPD is generally something that is over by about 6 weeks. When it goes on longer than that or is very severe (like when she left the girl alone at 6 days) people are supposed to notice and get her serious help. I guess they tried.
Incidence of women who experience Postpartum Psychosis. Between 1-2 women per 1,000 births experience a Postpartum Psychosis This is also a rare occurrence, but if psychosis occurs it is most likely to occur during the postpartum period rather than during pregnancy. What is Psychosis? Psychosis is a condition occurring in the context of an underlying psychiatric disorder like: Bipolar Affective Disorder, Schizophrenia, or Major Depression. For some women, a Postpartum Psychosis may be the only psychotic episode they will experience. For others, a Postpartum Psychosis may be the first episode of a psychiatric disorder or an acute exacerbation of an underlying disorder. During a psychotic episode, the woman losses touch with reality. The woman may be: hallucinating e.g. hearing voices when nobody is around or may be delusional - having ideas that she believes despite all proof that they are false, e.g. convinced that someone is trying to harm her, or that her baby is the devil. thought disordered-her thought process may be illogical or chaotic. It can be a very frightening condition and needs immediate treatment. Postpartum Psychosis occurs usually within two to four weeks after delivery. Risk Factors of Psychosis Women are at greater risk of having a Psychotic experience if they have a: Previous history of Postpartum Psychosis (having a previous episode of Postpartum Psychosis increases your risk by 50% with a subsequent pregnancy) Previous history of Bipolar Mood Disorder or Schizophrenia Family history of Bipolar Mood Disorder or Schizophrenia Signs and Symptoms experienced by women with Psychosis You may experience some of the following: disturbed sleep emotional lability confusion and disorientation disorganized thoughts and behavior hallucinations (hearing voices when there is no one there) delusions (thinking that people are trying to harm you or that you have special powers) usually occurs within 2-4 weeks after delivery, but may occur within the first three months after delivery. Reasons why pregnant or Postpartum women having a Psychotic experience should seek treatment. Women experiencing a psychosis are at risk of committing suicide and, in very rare cases, of harming their unborn child or infants. These women need to be hospitalized for their safety and to safeguard their infants. This is a psychiatric emergency and the woman needs to be hospitalized immediately. Because of her confusion the woman may not have the insight to recognize how ill she is, therefore, the decision for hospitalization will be made by her physician. Ideally women should not be separated from their babies during hospitalization. We would recommend special mother-baby units or designated beds on maternity wards where the baby could be assigned to the nursery and supervised by neonatal nurses. http://www.bcrmh.com/disorders/psychosis.htm
I guess I see what you mean about the severity, but CPS was called on her before! That's negligence! How can the father of that child risk leaving a baby in the sole care of someone with a history of negligence from her ppd?!? I'm not condemning her or defending her at all. Someone should have been there to help this woman take care of her baby. If he was worried enough to call a daycare to check on her, he should have found someone to stay with her. It's that simple to me.
I guess you really never believe it will happen to you. It is rare that it does. He probably thought his wife would never do something like that. But maybe deep down he was really concerned. The enitire blame game might be pointless on this one.
