Postpartum Pardon by Shell Kaesebier

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University of Illinois, Springfield *

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Psychology

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Dec 6, 2023

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1 Postpartum Pardon Shell Kaesebier University of Illinois: Springfield CCJ 353: Psychology of the Offender Stephen J Giannangelo May 3, 2023

2 There are two potentially deadly illnesses that women face once they become a mother. The first is the lesser of the two Postpartum Depression and the most severe case of Postpartum Psychosis. Both severities of the two mental illnesses can be managed with doctor's care and, if necessary, hospitalization. This leaves an important question. Do postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis receive a pardon in court? Many women go through different types of emotions after giving birth. Most new mothers will suffer from a case of baby blues. However, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with postpartum depression. Symptoms of postpartum depression include trouble sleeping, appetite changes, severe fatigue, lower libido, and frequent mood changes. She can also have feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, and helplessness . (Debra Fulghum Bruce, 2023) If left untreated or undiagnosed, postpartum depression can become a more severe diagnosis of postpartum psychosis. Postpartum psychosis affects 1 in 1000 women after giving birth. Postpartum psychosis involves symptoms of delusions, hallucinations, agitation, heightened energy, depression, anxiety, confusion, severe insomnia, constant mood swings, and feeling disconnected from your baby. (Slivinski, 2022) In more straightforward terms, you may lose your sense of reality. "About 5% will attempt suicide, and 4% will commit infanticide.” (Chuck, McShane, & Davidson, 2023) When it comes down to the difference in the three types, outside of their severity, it is in the time from birth that a woman shows symptoms, recovers from symptoms, or the progression of symptoms. One note I found interesting came from an article in 2018 stating that postpartum depression and “maternal isolation” can intensify the chances of becoming postpartum psychosis. (Pandika, 2018) Postpartum can alter a mother’s perception of reality, leading to delusions, hallucinations, and mental breakdowns. Many cases have noted that Postpartum played a factor in the woman's mentality during her crime. Some have successfully used Postpartum as a defense for those mentally unfit to stand trial or guilty by reason of insanity. Some mothers who have been convicted or used the insanity plea because of postpartum include Andrea Pia Yates – who drowned her five children in

3 the bathtub; Deasia Watkins - who decapitated her 3-month-old baby; Lisette Bamenga - who drowned her children and placed them in a carbon-monoxide filled room, Carol Coronado who cut her children’s throats and then stabbed them in the heart, and a plethora more. [ CITATION Van19 \l 1033 ] After hearing of a mother who has murdered her own child, we are left with more questions than answers. I ask myself, "Is she mentally fit to stand trial? This question is a double-edged sword. Do I think she belongs in prison or an institution due to her heinous act? My answer is that if the diagnosis can be presented and supported, then I do not believe she belongs in prison. The prison system will be unable to offer her the treatment needed, and she will not be able to function as a human being. In the prison system, she will likely lose the battle with postpartum depression and commit suicide. Case Study : Andrea Pia Yates Age at time of crime : 36 Years Old Method : Drowning Date : June 20, 2001 Victims (In order of death) : Paul Abraham Yates (3 Years), Luke David Yates (2 Years), John Samuel Yates (5 Years), Mary Deborah Yates (6 Months), and Noah Jack Yates (7 Years) On June 20, 2001, Andrea Pia Yates committed the most unthinkable act any mother could ever do. Andrea filled the bathtub with water three inches from the top and began the most horrendous act. She started with Paul, three years old, placing him face-first into the bathtub. She then laid Luke's limp, lifeless body on the master bed, face up, and covered him entirely with a sheet. Then followed Luke, two years old, placing him face first into the bathtub. Next, she took Luke's soaking wet, motionless body, put him on the master bed face up, then covered both back up with the sheet. Then Andrea takes John, five years old, and places him into the water face first into the bathtub until he dies. She carries Paul to the master bed and puts him

4 next to Luke and Paul. This next one was hard for me to stomach. Then it's Mary's "turn.” Mary has been in the bathroom the entire time, is now crying, and is too young to realize what happened to her siblings. Andrea takes Mary, places her in the bathtub face-first, and leaves Mary in the water. Every child has struggled with Andrea when placed and held in the water. She then calls for Noah. Noah comes to the bathroom and sees Mary floating in the water; he asks his mom what happened, and she grabs him to put him in the bathtub. Noah tried to run, but Andrea, being an adult, overpowered Noah and placed him face-first into the water. She struggles to hold Noah under the water. Noah, fighting back, gets his face out of the water a few times. One time, when Noah got his head above water, Noah gasped, "Mommy, I’m Sorry.” (Unmideas, 2011, 0:11:07) As Noah's lifeless body floats in the now shallow tub, Andrea takes Mary and lays her next to John in between his arm and body. Shen then covers the four children with the sheet one last time. At 9:48 AM, Andrea calls the local police stating that she needs an officer to come to the house in an unsteady voice. The dispatcher, Dorene Stubblefield, tries to get answers as to why, but Andrea would not say outside of someone had been hurt and that Andrea was ill. Then the call ended. At 9:56 AM, Andrea called Rusty's cell while he was at work. All Andrea would tell Rusty is, “It’s time.” Treatments and Hospitalizations Andrea's first hospitalization happened just four months after Luke was born. Andrea took 40-50 50mg tablets of Trazadone in the afternoon on June 18, 1999. [CITATION Suz04 \p 34 \l 1033 ] She was taken to Ben Taub Emergency Room and then admitted to the Methodist Hospital. During the intake, Andrea stated that her intentions weren't to kill herself but just to go to sleep. The nursing staff noted that Andrea felt hopeless. Dr. James Flack, a psychiatrist, took

5 over the treatment after admission. His notes included minimal speech, retarded psychomotor activity, paucity of thought, depression (shocker), affects extremely limited, attention is poor, and is having delusional guilt of being a bad mother. [CITATION Suz04 \p 34-35 \l 1033 ] These symptoms and notes align with postpartum depression, per the definition. Dr. Flack started Andrea on 50mg of Zoloft (an anti-depressant). During Andrea's hospitalization, she and Rusty met with Norma Tauriac, a Licensed Social Worker, for counseling. Ms. Tauriac's notes of Andrea included that Andrea could not identify any stressors in her life that would have triggered her current situation. (O'Malley, 2004, pp 35). Ms. Tauriac even noted that she believed Andrea should be diagnosed with postpartum depression. Ms. Tauriac could not make that diagnosis because she was not a licensed physician. Upon Andrea’s discharge from the hospital, Dr. Flack increased Andrea’s Zoloft to 150MG. In his discharge notes, he noted Andrea was in stable condition, quite depressed, and that the family had agreed to help watch after Andrea, and they knew of the risk of Andrea hurting herself. This itself is contradictory. She is stable but is at risk of hurting herself. Dr. Flack also noted in his discharge that Andrea was being discharged because of her insurance coverage. (O'Malley, 2004, pp 37) Andrea was also to follow up with another psychiatrist for ongoing care. An appointment was made and attended on July 1, 1999, where Dr. Eileen Starbranch would prescribe Zyprexa (An anti-psychotic). Dr. Flack's official diagnosis was "Major Depression, Single Episode, Severe." [CITATION Suz04 \p 35 \l 1033 ] The second of four hospital stays would be from Andrea's attempt at suicide on July 1, 1999. During the intake, we found out that Andrea flushed the Zyprexa because she believed that she was not crazy and that she was taking the Zoloft inconsistently. Andrea's symptoms now include audio/visual hallucinations, anxiety, and worry. These symptoms would lead Dr.

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