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Post Partum Depression Essay

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Post Partum Depression

Unlike "the baby blues" which affects 70% to 80% of new mothers and does not require prompt medical attention due to its mild nature. Major Post Partum Depression attacks 10% of new mothers and is entirely a beast of a different nature, one that must be reckoned with. The most recent Post Partum case that has rightfully caused a media frenzy is the Andrea Yates case. Yates was the mother of five young children. This past summer Yates held each of her children in a bath tub full of water until their death. Yates had PPD.
Post Partum depression causes a new mother to become depressed to a severe extent. PPD causes its patients to fall to an uncomfortable mental state. PPD patients feel discouraged, hostile, …show more content…

She attempted suicide twice. She waged a losing struggle with depression that began after the birth of her first child, Noah, in 1994. Her doctors documented periods when she heard voices, had visions and became so unhinged mentally that they diagnosed her as psychotic.
But was she insane the morning of June 20 when she killed her children, one by one? Her lawyers say she is not guilty by reason of insanity. Prosecutors have charged her with murder and are seeking the death penalty.
. A jury will decide whether Yates is mentally competent to stand trial -- that is, whether she understands the proceedings against her and is able to assist the lawyers preparing her defense. If the jury finds her incompetent, the trial will be postponed until she recovers. If the jury concludes Yates is competent, she will go to trial. The odds are against her. An insanity defense is extraordinarily difficult to prove. It is rarely used in court and even more rarely succeeds. In this case, prosecutors contend Yates not only was sane when she drowned her children but also is competent to stand trial. She has been treated by two psychiatrists and prescribed medication during her 3 months in jail. People who know her say she has improved.
Insanity and competency are different legal terms that apply to different time frames -- the time a crime was committed vs. now. At the hearing, the defense lawyers plan to call at least two expert

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