Yates verdict overturned

[Beverly]

I don't know if this is the right place for this post, but I just read on CNN.com that Andrea Yates's murder conviction was overturned and she'll get a new trial.

Full story.

I can only hope that she gets a fair trial with a more compassionate verdict next time around.

[pamamidwife]

Oh, I'm so relieved to see that. I feel for that woman.

[alegna]

There's a thread over in News and Current Events if you want to read more comments. I agree with you pamamidwife- I've always just felt awful for her. Though her husband gives me the creeps.

-Angela

[loving-my-babies]

I might be in the minority but I don't feel bad for this woman. I hope justice is served, those poor innocent children

[bu's mama]

Originally Posted by loving-my-babies

I might be in the minority but I don't feel bad for this woman. I hope justice is served, those poor innocent children

I agree with those poor children, but do you really think she or society is better served by her being in jail?

I think she should be punished but her mental illness needs to be treated.

[pamamidwife]

Carmen, I don't think she logically killed her children. I think she suffered from postpartum psychosis. I've heard that in England, this sort of crime would not result in such a punishment. To me, there is a sincere difference in sane murder and this sort of crime.

Perhaps your attitude and others like yours is reflective of a society that doesn't take PPD seriously. It's not something that the US has alot of patience for.

[LadyWulf]

I will join the minority here also. What she did was inexcusable.

I know i don't post a lot over here but i suffered from PPD after both of my childrens births. I DO know what it is like.

Those poor babies. Just think for a minutes what must have been going through their heads in their last minutes.

[Pepper]

LadyWulf, you had ppd, Post Partum Depression, not PPP, Post Partum psychosis. Big difference.

I think we all agree that this is a horribly tragic case and as mothers we all feel incredible sadness and anger at the loss of the childrens' lives but this case is about so much more than that. Andrea Yates suffered for years from depression, suicidal thoughts, etc. There is speculation that she continued to have children because her illness subsided during pregnancy--she was self-medicating. It's been awhile since I read about all of this but I believe she tried to seek help but her husband prevented her from obtaining proper care.

I agree that ppd in all its forms is grossly misunderstood and women who suffer from it in this country are not properly supported.

[jstar]

i was happy to read this news. the andrea yates story is hugely troubling to me in so many ways. sad sad story

[pamamidwife]

Yeah, PPD is far different. I had one step beyond PPD - postpartum anxiety disorder. This caused me to do crazy, irrational things - like throw heavy ceramic pots at my dh. storm out of my house in my nightshirt screaming.

It wasn't ME, though.

I doubt anyone that has went through PPD or even PPAD can really relate to the intense suffering of PPP. I hope we never are able to relate to it personally.

Still, our country needs to understand more about this horrific disease.

[Milkymommi]

So glad to hear about the turn of events...

There's no denying how horrific the situation was and how much indeed those poor babies suffered... yet their mama was suffering from something that could have been treated had she been able to be helped. True, it doesn't take away from the facts of the matter - her children were killed but that also doesn't constitute IMO locking her away in prison for the rest of her life where she will recieve no treatment and NO help whatsoever.

Truely a tradgic story... It's very hard to see past the media and the way society in general treats misunderstood illnesses such as these but as mothers and American women I really believe we need to support these types of issues reguardless of what the popular opinion is. And before anyone flames me, yes we need to support the children who are victims too. This really is a much more complex matter than it's seen as.

[mwherbs]

I think that you would have to be around a psychotic person to know how far off a person can be. They have disordered thinking and at unpredictable times are living in deep hallucinational states. My sister has mental illness, and my parents who were the ones living around her had a great deal of denial. she lived with her daughter until her daughter was around 9 and it is only by the grace of g-d that nothing as extreme happened to my niece. But she didn't come out of the experience unscathed. What is very eye opening is how much health care workers don't even think about what all a mentally ill person may be responsible for and they are so much about patient rights that they don't try to limit most activities they do.... for example all the drugs my sister is on specifically state may impair operating machinery- let alone what can a hallucination do to a driver. When I was riding with her I noticed she was not always seeing other cars or driving right-- so I didn't let her drive- she complained to her psyc doc and I told them my experience and then I said even the meds say to not drive and they acted sheepish but also just said how hard that would make it for many mentally ill people so.. you can see they just don't tell them not to do things. the other experiences I have are that she can make a good show for someone who isn't around her all the time-and tell them what they want to here and end up not getting meds or not getting them adjusted. So my sister who probably was kicked off with some post partum psychosis but was bi-polar as well and has had many cycles of psychosis since-- she went years until she lived with me and I went to the docs with her and kept defining what was going on- When we started out she would define paranoia only after she was experiencing it for more than a week-- so when a doc would say have you had paranoid thoughts she would say no... so if this woman had no one in her life that could define that she was not alright how would she really know? even a friend might think she was acting odd but rarely will friends step in and say anything let alone get help.A husband may not have enough contact if working or could also be in denial and not want to rock the boat and when people are in a psychotic state they can act out very sexually so ... I also think that mental illness is not very well defined in our culture and we are not always sure what to do when a person is not always well. And if you are associated with a person with disordered thinking you may just think that they are off a bit but oh well. Since my sister has come to live with me i have come across 3 other women who were having post partum psychosis and everytime I was called because their friends though something was wrong but didn't know what to do or think. But each time when I said we should get them help, none wanted to go that far. Each one needed some sort of real help right then- they were a danger to themselves if not their children.
This is just to offer a perspective--

[GoodWillHunter]

I agree. I'm so glad she's getting a second chance. Perhaps this will shed more light on PPP.

[darsmama]

I'm really, really sick of people saying "I had PPD, and I would never do something like that - so to the electric chair she should go!" (or shared sentiments)

You would never do something like that, because you have never suffered from what she suffered.

I feel for her children, but I feel for her. I don't know how she lives with herself. I really cannot imagine a sentance worse then what she is already serving.

[lauraess]

Yes, darsmama> I totally agree. I often wonder why anyone would think that any mom *in her right mind* would do something soo horrific. Thats the point. No mom could ever think about hurting her children in this way unless she was sick. Period. so, with that why is it impossible for people to see that true sadness and terrible sick thinking led to the events that wound up with these poor souls dead at the hands of their mom????
I myself have some experience and insight into the mentally ill mind and understand the complexity of the actual functions and the amount of turmoil one can go through when you are not in control of your mind.
If anyone should be held accountable in this case and others it's society and the people around the woman. Im not saying there is anyone to blame, but if we must point fingers and hold accountable someone it should not be the suffering mama who's heart is forever broken beyond repair.

Laura

[saritabeth]

I just cried when I saw the story....So tragic for everyone involved.

If people didn't let andrea Yeats down...her doctors, her husband, her community, maybe her children would still be alive today.

If andrea should go to jail, so should the rest of the people who ignored her psycotic behavior and let her be overwhelmed and left alone with vulunerable children.

I just pray peace, justice, and healing for that poor tortured mama.
maybe one day mental illness will actually be dealt with instead of sending sick people off to jail with minimal treatment after they have been neglected and left to their own sick devices to commit crimes they wouldn't have done with the proper care.

Okay...Im stepping off my soapbox now.
s.

[Girl Named Sandoz]

This case really does highlight how desperately the American legal system needs overhauling - both initially with there being no capacity to have her mental instability recognised, and now with the guy being proven to have fabricated his testimony.

I really hope and pray that this new information helps to educate people about post partum psychosis and the devastating effect it can have when it's not properly treated.

It irritates me to read about her case and post partum depression in one sentence. She did not suffer from PPD but Post Partum Psychosis which is a world of a difference. A mother with PPD would not be driven to kill her children. Many mothers think that because they suffered from PPD that they know how she felt. They don't. It's a completely different illness.

Psychotic disorders include severe mental disorders which are characterized by extreme impairment of a person's ability to think clearly, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality, and behave appropriately. Psychotic symptoms interfere with a person’s daily functioning and can be debilitating. Psychotic symptoms include delusions and hallucinations.

In England she would never have been convicted of murder as she had a known, medically ackowledged psychosis that was left untreated. A mentally ill person can kill, but not murder. Murder warrants planning and intent.

[Milkymommi]

Originally Posted by eternal_grace

Murder warrants planning and intent.

Well said... and I also can't agree more with your comment on the need for an overhaul of the American legal system. Speaking of insanity!

[hnybee]

It is a sad situation no matter how you slice it. And to think what this mama has to deal with (guilt, judgement etc).

I am glad it is not in my hands to deal with. It's so hard because those poor children are dead and that is a fact. She had mental illness. I'm so glad it's not in my hands to determine what justice is.

I just pray those kids are in heaven and in peace now. I certainly hope the husband has to take some responsiblity for all of this. Has he had to face any consequences????

-Melissa

[tuffykenwell]

It doesn't help that the article keeps referring to her having PPD...no wonder people think they have walked in her shoes and cannot understand her actions. I wish they would refer to her condition by its proper name and educate people on the difference!

Steph