Andrea Yates verdict... - Page 2

[jstar]

Originally Posted by my4magpies

I think knowing that she will always picture her babies dying by her own hand will be the worst punishment she will have to go thru forever.

i feel the same way. she is living with it. and i am sure that is awful awful awful.

[DreamsInDigital]

I'm relieved that the general public and the justice system is starting to recognize PPD and postpartum psychosis as real, genuine mental illness.
I only hope that she is treated well in the institution. I can only imagine what she must be going through, if she is starting to realize the horror of what she's done.
for those poor little lost souls.

[milk_maker]

Wow, I just read a rather scathing thread started at a mainstream forum and I must say that I'm glad that there are some sympathetic moms in this world. Reading all your replies has been so refreshing. I'm so glad that at least some people are open-minded enough to realize that the poor woman was mentally ill.

It's horrible, what she did, but we can only move on from it and hope to learn from her mistakes.

[Jilian]

I really don't know what to think about her being found not guilty by reason of insanity. I DO believe that anyone who can do what she did must be insane. On the other hand I feel that she is a threat to society, if she can brutally murder the people who are closest to her then what else is she capable of?? I really hope she gets the help she needs. I have a hard time believing that not one person realized she was mentally ill - why didn't anyone do something?? The story just makes me so sad

[pjlioness]

Originally Posted by mama2babybeans

Glad to hear it. I really believe she had/has mental problems.. I hope she gets the help that she needs and this can serve as a wake-up call for mental health awareness.

:

[lauraess]

Originally Posted by Gloval

People who commit violent crimes deserve to go to prison, period. I do not care if they are crazy or not. They need to be removed from society. Put into a place where the pose no threat to others. I sincerely hope she atleast remains institutionalized for the rest of her natural life. The husband may very well be guilty of negligence, but she actually commited the henious act.

I think her jerk of a dh, who Knew she was sick, didnt assist her in getting all the help she needed, and allowed more babies to be conceived should pay somehow. After, she was mentally sick--- What's his excuse???

No mother deserves to be sick enough to hurt her children and her going to an institution will remove her from society--She doesnt 'deserve' to be in prison. She deserves help. I am so sad for her but hope and pray she will get help.

[MPJJJ]

I am terribly saddened by this verdict.

[`guest`]

I cannot understand anyone who could judge her harshly. A person who did what she did can NOT be okay mentally. There was probably so much going on inside of her, that asking for help was not even an option. I have never experienced that level of psychosis myself, but I can understand that mental illness coupled with the pressure she was under led her to commit this act.

All of this judging reminds me that we come from a puritanical society, where we judge and are punitive. It makes me very sad. Can you even for a second think that this woman did this because she wanted to hurt her children? Of course not, this is not like she spanked them or put them in a cage or something. She thought she was HELPING them, for goodness sake. She was very ill. She still is, and will always be. She is a broken person.

[kgrfcharlton]

I remember talking to my Dr. (who is a wonderfuly, kind woman) about how I was afraid to have kids after hearing about the case, since I have always struggled w/depression. She asured me that this woman was far beyond PPD & I would be OK b/c we would keep check on me.

It's just so very sad to me. I can see so much judgement on her already from her own self.

I am glad she was found insane & will be getting help, but I agree w/some of you other mamas that I don't see anyway that she will ever be at peace w/herself.

So sad.

[Gale Force]

Doctors do not know how to help people with severe mental breaks. They just add various medications for some sort of strand of symptoms they observe until the patent is on an insane number of medications that can only be a trainwreck in itself. Anyone that "treatment resistant" needs another type of treatment, but psychiatrists are not typically trained to treat people in any other way. Husbands aren't necessarily trained to know the difference between depression and generally bitchy and psychotic.

It's the ladies here on the PPD board who understand all too well how close we come to this same outcome. Andrea Yates reminds me of the fear I had in the depths of my postpartum depression. The difference between her and me is that my psychotic episodes were very short and my thoughts did not direct me to hurt my child. I certainly had episodes where I thought about killing my child, but those moments were not psychotic breaks -- I could see at the time that I was out of control, I knew my thoughts were wrong, and I could stop myself.

Occasionally on this board a woman will express her fear that her child will be taken away from or or that she will injure herself or her child. For every poster who expresses that fear, there must be at least one hundred people reading who have the fear too.

I hope everyone who is reading today will be able to find the help they need to climb out of the depths and rebuild their bodies. We pay a high price to be mothers.

[Wugmama]

If you are someone who cannot understand how a mother could drown her children, then you need to stop judging her and start thanking God, your lucky stars, whoever, that you CANNOT understand. I'm sure that once upon a time Andrea couldn't understand how something like that could happen either.

~Tracy

[JustJamie]

Originally Posted by Gale Force

I certainly had episodes where I thought about killing my child, but those moments were not psychotic breaks -- I could see at the time that I was out of control, I knew my thoughts were wrong, and I could stop myself.

Wow, I thought I was the only one that had that happen.

Before DD was born, I thought Andrea Yates deserved to go to jail. I didn't understand how anyone could possibly think drowning their kids would be the right thing to do. After DD, I had moments where I saw myself, in graphic, gory detail, murder my child. I envisioned myself smothering her, stabbing her in the chest with sewing shears, abandoning her on the side of the road, driving off the autobahn with her in the car, and the list goes on.

I was fortunate enough that I recognized that those impulses were not right, and did not act upon them.

My heart goes out to her and to her family, and I can only pray that they find a way to heal from this terrible tragedy.

[Irish_Blue]

Originally Posted by JustJamie

Wow, I thought I was the only one that had that happen.

Before DD was born, I thought Andrea Yates deserved to go to jail. I didn't understand how anyone could possibly think drowning their kids would be the right thing to do. After DD, I had moments where I saw myself, in graphic, gory detail, murder my child. I envisioned myself smothering her, stabbing her in the chest with sewing shears, abandoning her on the side of the road, driving off the autobahn with her in the car, and the list goes on.

I was fortunate enough that I recognized that those impulses were not right, and did not act upon them.

My heart goes out to her and to her family, and I can only pray that they find a way to heal from this terrible tragedy.

to you mama. I went through something similar with my last baby, it was truly the most terrifying and horrible thing I've ever been through and I've been through some pretty tuff things. I thank God everday that I was able to come out of it okay and recognize that what I had was pp ocd AND that I'm not alone in this.

My heart breaks for Andrea and her sweet children, there are soo many good comments here that I agree with ~ I am so very glad she got the verdict that she got and I truly hope that she is able to get the help she needs.

Her husband makes me sick, I believe he had a lot to do with her complete breakdown ~ who in their right mind would continue to have children w/ someone they knew wasn't right in the head, nevermind the fact that she was diagnosed with schizophrenia before her 5th child. It makes me angry that he's already re-married and living his life, holding no accountability to this tragendy :

[Igraine]

Andrea Yates verdict...

I just read the verdict on my yahoo.

I immediately started to cry. My heart is so heavy with despair for this woman.

I had PPD with my first son and had absolutely terrifying thoughts. If I didn't have the support of my friends, my family AND my husband (unlike Andrea Y), I don't know what would have happened. I love my two children more than anythingin the whole world and cannot even allow myself a second thought at what it must be like to do time in her head.

My prayers are with her. Not her husband, or her doctor or her CHURCH for that matter. For them, I only feel rage and place blame on them almost as mush as Andrea Y. for the death of those precious children.

[lauraess]

I was just wondering if there will come a time when we can write to her to give her support. I am betting that at this time if she get's mail it has to all be gone through, and checked for anything that might be harmful.
anyone have ideas on how to find this info?