Postpartum Psychosis Defense Works in 2006
In 2002 she was tried and convicted of murdering her 5 children, but the charges were overturned last year due to erroneous testimony.
Before announcing the verdict, this jury observed 10 minutes of silence, 2 minutes for each child. Foreman Todd Frank told "Good Morning America,"
- "I honestly feel so peaceful right now that we made the right decision.We understand that she knew it was legally wrong. But in her delusional mind, in her severely mentally ill mind, we believe that she thought what she did was right."
Susan Dowd Stone, MSW, LCSW, President of Postpartum Support International, was encouraged by the verdict as "the appropriate recognition and characterization of postpartum psychosis." Postpartum Support International (PSI) is the world's largest organization offering support, referrals, education, training and resources to health care providers, women and their families coping with perinatal mood disorders.
Postpartum Psychosis Defense
In this trial Yates' attorneys never disputed that Yates systematically drowned her five children in their bathtub. Instead they successfully convinced a jury that she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis. She was in a delusional state, believing that Satan was inside of her, when she drowned her children trying to save them from hell. Previously, legal experts had stated that the defense would face challenges if they tried building an insanity case based on postpartum psychosis.In the aftermath of Andrea Yates' retrial, postpartum psychosis as an insanity defense will be examined with a new perspective, helping to distinguish homicides committed by mothers afflicted with postpartum psychosis from other homicides.
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The next page looks at some of the legislation that has been enacted about Postpartum Depression.
The last page looks at how to recognize the baby blues, postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
