On January 24, 2023 a young mother in Massachusetts was accused of strangling her three children.
Most people find this story appalling because we assume that mothers fall hopelessly in love with their children immediately after birth.
And even though that is often the case, there are women – about 0.1-0.2% of women – who experience what is called Postpartum Psychosis, and Postpartum Depression. This can lead to hallucinations, delusions, mood changes and more.
Lindsay was open about her struggles with anxiety after becoming a mother and was reportedly even in an intensive program for postpartum depression, according to the New York Post.
For all intents and purposes, she acknowledged she was struggling.
So what happened? Friends, it’s hard to have all the answers and it’s easy to make assumptions. I encourage compassion towards her family at this time – during what is, no doubt, the hardest time of their lives.
What bothers me the most is…this could have been me.
It could have been so many of us. I went into pregnancy and motherhood knowing that I was at risk for PPD and PPA. I was so fortunate that I wasn’t that 0.1%.
But what if I was? Would I have struggled in silence? Would I have felt safe around those who love me, to truly express how I was feeling?
”Ending the stigma” means being a safe place for moms who are struggling with ALL types of mental health. Especially the uncomfortable kind.
My heart breaks for the Clancy family, and for any other families fighting the monster of postpartum mental health issues.
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