How is postpartum psychosis different from postpartum depression? Lindsay Clancy case shines light on rare disorder
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
DUXBURY, MASSACHUSETTS: The startling case of Lindsay Clancy and her children has rocked the whole of the US, especially the state of Massachusetts where the incident occurred. It has been reported that the mother allegedly killed her two little children, five-year-old daughter Cora, and son, Dawson, 3, and left 8-month-old Callan in a severe condition, on Tuesday, January 24 before attempting to kill herself. Callan reportedly died on Friday, January 27.
But Lindsay survived and is now being pressed with several charges that include two counts of murder, three counts of strangulation or suffocation, and three counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon. Not many details have been released about the disturbing case, but it's been alleged that the 32-year-old woman suffers from postpartum psychosis (PPP), New York Post reported. Many people online also tried to imply that she is a patient of postpartum depression (PPD) but the two conditions are very different from each other, and also they are not associated.
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How is postpartum depression different from postpartum psychosis?
As per reports, the only common thing between both mental health issues is that they happen only after the birth of a child/or children. PPD is believed to attack 10% to 20% of all new mothers. Its symptoms are facing difficulty in feeling attached to your baby, struggling to feel connected to your friends and family, irritability, crying a lot, guilt, feeling tired, unusual eating, unable to think properly, getting negative thoughts about yourself or your baby, unusual sleeping pattern, and questioning your ability to take care of the baby.
However, not just new mothers, PPD can also affect adoptive parents, men, and grandparents. However, the condition is treatable and with the right diagnosis, and treatment, people can easily come out of it.
On the other hand, PPP is reportedly more serious and also rare. Its patients are believed to suffer from hallucinations, delusions, dramatic mood changes, paranoia, and suicidal and/or homicidal thoughts. “PPP usually starts suddenly in the first couple weeks after childbirth. PPP only happens in 1 or 2 women out of every 1000. But your risk is much higher if you have a history of schizoaffective or bipolar disorder, or if you — or your mother or sister — have had PPP before," as per GoodRx Health.
Also, though PPD and PPP are not related to each other, both conditions can affect a single person at the same time. While in PPD, no hospitalization is required normally, PPP mostly leads to hospital admission since it’s a medical emergency.
‘The real Lindsay was generously loving’
Following the January 24 incident, many people have said several things about Lindsay with most of them demanding severe punishment for her. But Patrick Clancy, Lindsay's husband, has not left her side despite losing all his children. In a GoFundMe message, the grieving father said, “She’s recently been portrayed largely by people who have never met her and never knew who the real Lindsay was. Our marriage was wonderful and diametrically grew stronger as her condition rapidly worsened.”
He continued, “I took as much pride in being her husband as I did in being a father and felt persistently lucky to have her in my life. We said ‘I love you’ to each other multiple times daily, as if it were a reflex. We habitually started every morning with a passionate hug, yielding a sigh of relief like we had each received the perfect medicine. We mutually understood the reality that people can have bad days, but we stuck to the rule that when one of us got lost, the other was always there to bring them home, always. She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father.”
“I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have. The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace,” Patrick added.
If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live child services.