Postpartum psychosis victims can't help actions

I recently read a story about a mother who killed her 3-week-old baby in a horrifying manner and said, "The devil made her do it."

The child was decapitated and mutilated.

The story link was posted on a Web site I visit, and some of the comments astounded me. Many were advocating "frying her"; others thought she should be subjected to the same treatment as her baby received.

In fact, one woman stated she should be cut up and used as shark bait.

I disagreed and fully believe she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, just like Andrea Yates did a few years ago. This woman clearly did not know what she was doing and wasn't able to tell right from wrong.

Different from postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis indicates a complete break with reality.

With depression, a woman still knows right from wrong, but with psychosis, she doesn't. She only knows what her brain is telling her, and if it's telling her to kill her child, that's what she's going to do.

Some symptoms of postpartum psychosis include hallucinations, delusions, illogical thoughts, insomnia, refusing to eat, extreme feelings of anxiety and agitation, periods of delirium or mania and suicidal or homicidial thoughts.

Symptoms of postpartum depression include depressed mood, loss of pleasure in daily activities, appetite and weight change, sleep problems, changes in how she walks and talks, extreme fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness and guilt for no reason, difficulty concentrating and making decisions and thoughts of death and suicide.

Looking at the symptoms, it's easy to see that these are really two different types of disorders, one clearly more aggressive than the other.

My question is, with all of these symptoms, why can't family members realize something is going on and put a stop to it?

We are failing women when we allow these things to happen time and time again.

I fully believe Andrea Yates' husband was as to blame for her crimes as she was. I don't believe, for one second, she deserves to die for what she did, nor should she spend the rest of her life in a prison with the general population.

Do I think these women should ever be allowed out in society again? Probably not, but I still don't believe they should die or be in prison.

Yates and others need to be in a psychiatric ward, receiving help for the rest of their lives. They need medicine, counseling and support.

Yates' husband is the one who should be doing jail time, because her doctors told him repeatedly she should not have any more children. Yet, what happened? She became pregnant time and time again.

He was also warned not to leave her alone with the children, and what did he do? He left her to go to work, thinking his relief person would be there in just a few minutes. Those few minutes were enough for the voices in Andrea's head to tell her to kill her children and for her to carry it through.

In the case I mentioned when starting out this column, the mother was in the house with other children and her mother and sister. Surely someone had to notice the changes in this woman and could have done something to help her. It wasn't like she lived all alone with her baby.

I realize it's hard to hear about these horrific crimes and not think these women deserve the same treatment they gave their children, but we all need to take a minute to walk in their shoes.

Mental illness is real, and those suffering from it cannot help the things they do, especially if they are unmedicated. Those suffering from postpartum psychosis can not help what they have done; they do not know right from wrong when they are committing these crimes.

In some ways, those advocating the death penalty for these women (or those advocating torture for them) are even more evil than the women who are suffering from postpartum psychosis. Those people know exactly what they were doing, while the sufferers don't.

We need to wake up and realize that this is happening everywhere, and something needs to be done about it. Prison isn't the answer, nor is the death penalty or torture.

The answer is being aware of what is happening to your friend or family member. The answer is doctors doing more than a cursory screening for it. We all need to do what we can to help, to stop this from happening again. It's completely preventable.

Tamara Belinc is a Times-Gazette staff writer. She can be reached at tbelinc@t-g.com.