Why blog:

I realized I've been spending a lot of time writing on other boards/blogs and decided to start putting my thoughts and opinions here instead.

Recently there was another tragic postpartum-psychosis infanticide in Texas. It was so horrific, I will not repeat the details here. The responses to this story that I've read online mirror several themes that come up each time one of these tragedies occurs. I have taken some statements from comments found online (some are composits or inferences) and reply to them here (referencing at least one "name" of a poster of that sentiment for each). These are far from exhaustive:
1. "Someone should have done something to prevent this – but since it was not prevented, we now must hold someone accountable and the obvious person to blame is the woman sometimes her husband and/or her family." (threehorses, smack1)
TWO CENTS: We as a society know about this illness – but do almost NOTHING to prevent the illness or the results of it. One reason we can continue to do nothing is that we can and do blame each individual woman – which, ironically, guarantees this will happen again and again. And each time we can be shocked and morally indignant and DO NOTHING to create real change. (By the way, it is a misconception that someone with postpartum psychosis always appears to be insane. It is, unfortunately, not that easy to tell. And the family is not always aware of or may not understand the risk -- they may even believe that they KNOW that their relative would never do anything to hurt the baby or anyone else - not understanding that this illness can indeed cause a kind and loving person to do the unthinkable.) Of course, even when the risk is clear, people do not always have knowledge of or access to adequate help.)
2. "I would not have done that, therefore I cannot understand how anyone can do that, and therefore she is to blame. " Or: "I would have/did get adequate help for my mental illness/mood disorder, she did not, and therefore she is to blame." (Summerland Tarot, Christy1981)
TWO CENTS: That is what I would likely have said before my own experience. I too was judgemental and unsympathetic. I would not wish on my worst enemy that she go through what I went through to learn empathy -- and unfortunately I don't know what would have persuaded me otherwise. So, to all who wish to judge on that basis: Be THANKFUL that YOUR experience/mental health is NOT the issue here -- be thankful that your experiences have never been such that you intimately understand from that experience what this illness is like.
3. "Insanity is no excuse." (FireWoman, truthliberates, dlbconstruction)
TWO CENTS: Again, this gets us as a society off the hook from any responsibility to provide for mental illness. As long as we can blame those who are ill for their illness and their actions, we can continue to DO NOTHING. What is OUR excuse as a society when we do so little to prevent this?
4. "She WAS mentally ill and therefore she IS to blame (although perhaps not the only one to blame)." (Brownie04)
TWO CENTS: Again, clearly blaming the ill for their illness. Yet I’m pretty convinced that the vast majority of the mentally ill do not CHOOSE to be ill.
5. "Pleading insanity is a sham but works every time to get out of legal responsibility." (tx riley, American Defender)
TWO CENTS: This is a very popular point of view and is factually quite incorrect. It is actually a difficult defense. Although there are abuses of it, there are also many cases where it likely could/should be used but is not. (Because many people would rather go to jail for a set period of years than to a mental institution indefinitely.) Furthermore, one has to wonder with a comment like this – what WOULD convince someone of insanity if not a case where a previously “nice and sweet” woman who clearly wanted her child is diagnosed with a severe mental illness and then does something so mind-bendingly awful to her child?
6. Any woman who harms her child is "evil and should die – we should not have to use taxpayer money to keep them alive." (Christy1981)
TWO CENTS: Again, blame the woman so we can DO NOTHING – not even use that “taxpayer money” to PREVENT it (which might actually cost a lot less).
7. "She probably was (insert your favorite accusation/stereotype here) and therefore is to blame/should be punished." (tx riley)
TWO CENTS: This is a classic logical fallacy (false logic) “straw-person” argument. Label someone as something, whether they are or not, and then attack/blame them for being that. Speculation like this has no part in serious conversation.
8. Implied: "If she is mentally ill, she does not deserve to live (or have children) anyway." (Smack1)
TWO CENTS: This represents the stigma, judgment and lack of understanding or sympathy the mentally ill face. This is actually a pretty major barrier to help-seeking. Another sad irony.