More almost Drowned Babies , Postpartum Depression Cases
Q."This is not a child abuse case. This is a postpartum depression case," the judge told Thompson. "We want to walk you through this nightmare you've been through." Thompson appeared composed in court. In her purse was a magazine carrying the headline "I Killed My Children," a reference to Andrea Yates, a Houston mother charged with drowning her five children last month. Yates' husband said she was suffering from postpartum depression.
A.Thompson was also ordered to perform 160 hours of community service, submit to psychiatric care and notify the court if she changes her physician. "I would like nothing more than to get in my car, drive home and see my children," Thompson said outside court. "But they want to make sure I'm well. I want to make sure I'm well." Thompson and her husband, John, said they have joined a postpartum depression support group and are trying to put their family back together. While both knew she was suffering from postpartum depression, they say they neither knew the extent of it until she was found in the bathroom. Note that next-to-the-last paragraph. I think it's easy for people to say that somebody should have noticed the "warning signs" in these cases, that somebody dropped the ball, or was in denial, or was a sadistic, selfish, oversexed Nazi male chauvinist pig, and whatever else has been heaped upon Russell Yates, but in actuality, I don't believe the depressed person gives *any* indication that the illness will manifest itself in such a horrific way. Maybe now, after the Yates thing, people will start to give it some thought when a loved one is depressed, where they wouldn't have before--but really, what can we do?--keep every mother suffering from PPD separated from her children, or constantly monitored? Put 24-hr. guards on everyone being treated for depression? Institutionalize them? I'm sure in these cases, the husband & family, although aware of the depression, that something was wrong, probably believed the worst-case scenario would be that the depressed person would either become completely non-functional, just lying in a catatonic heap on the floor, or would be successful at committing suicide. Their directing the illness outward toward others, esp. their children, was probably never conceived of. Look at Andrea--up until that last act, all the manifestations of her illness were self-directed. I'm sure Russell's only fear was that she would harm herself, not others. ***Well, there's the problem. I've read several of what I think are very misinformed opinions that this Andrea Yates thing will be great news for women suffering from PPD--the articles/opinion pieces say that Mrs. Yates's drowning of the children will bring increased attention to the issue of PPD and will lead more women to get help. I disagree strongly--seems to me that all it will lead to is more covering up of the problem and an increasing *reluctance* to get help. Can you imagine what woman's going to be nuts enough to tell her friends that she has PPD? No friend/relative would ever allow her around *their* kids and she'd probably be immediately reported to police and CPS. Wouldn't surprise me to hear of children being removed from loving (and perfectly safe) homes because the mother revealed her PPD diagnosis/suspicion to others.
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