This paper will focus on the psychological problems of Mothers Who Kill. My research will also include some cases to show the high and low points of psychological illnesses. We will focus on three illnesses; Bipolar disorder, Postpartum psychosis, and Schizophrenia. There are more than just three illnesses that will cause a mother to murder her child, but we will only focus on three. Each of these illnesses has their own symptoms, and treatments, that will be discussed. We will also discuss some other reasons Mothers Kill, such as marriage, stress, and anxiety.
What is a Psychological Disorder?
“A mental illness is a condition that impacts a person 's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and …show more content…
It occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries, or approximately .1% of births. The onset is usually sudden, most often within the first 2 weeks postpartum.”(PSI, 2012). There are a lot of symptoms of postpartum psychosis. Some include but are not limited to, delusions, hallucinations, thoughts of harming or killing the baby, unwillingness to eat or sleep, frantic energy, severe depressive symptoms. Many mothers are diagnosed with postpartum after the birth of their first child. They feel so detached from their newborn infants. People never know what a woman with postpartum psychosis goes through when they are with their child. Most women don’t feel the same after their first child; they start to get thoughts of harming their child. Postpartum psychosis should be medically treated. Some mothers who go through postpartum psychosis get really bad hallucinations. They start to believe that their child are possess with demons or evil spirts. This illness reminds me a lot about schizophrenia. Schizophrenia also is an illness that will cause you to have hallucinations or hear voices inside of your head. It will also make you see things that aren’t really there. They will also have a lot of delusions or false beliefs. Women who breastfeed are less likely to harm their offspring. Over half of mothers have a mild case of postpartum psychosis. In some cases …show more content…
Andrea Yates was born Andrea Pia Kennedy on July 2, 1964, in Houston, Texas. She married her husband Rusty Yates in the year 1993. She than had five children with him. Rusty Yates was a disciple of her Pastor Michael Peter Woroniecki. Through several sermons and phone calls, Pastor Michael stated that their children were doomed because of their parent’s sins. The Woronieckis also preached that married couples should have as many children as possible. “Over the next seven years Andrea gave birth to all five of her children and suffered a miscarriage, all the while plunging deeper into mental illness.”( W. DENNO, 2012). Andrea Yates drowned all five of her kids one by one on June 20, 2001. Her oldest child was 7 and her youngest was 6 months old at the time of their deaths. Months later, she was convicted of capital murder in Harris County. She was sentenced to life in prison and a possibility of prole after 40 years. She than filed an appeal, she than pleaded not guilty for reasons of insanity. She was then moved to a mental hospital where she was treated for postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder. She was roomed with another mother who killed her 6 month old child. Andrea was diagnosed with mild depression when she was 17. She was one of those people who didn’t pay attention to the signs. Andrea also had bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows
What is a Psychological Disorder?
“A mental illness is a condition that impacts a person 's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and …show more content…
It occurs in approximately 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 deliveries, or approximately .1% of births. The onset is usually sudden, most often within the first 2 weeks postpartum.”(PSI, 2012). There are a lot of symptoms of postpartum psychosis. Some include but are not limited to, delusions, hallucinations, thoughts of harming or killing the baby, unwillingness to eat or sleep, frantic energy, severe depressive symptoms. Many mothers are diagnosed with postpartum after the birth of their first child. They feel so detached from their newborn infants. People never know what a woman with postpartum psychosis goes through when they are with their child. Most women don’t feel the same after their first child; they start to get thoughts of harming their child. Postpartum psychosis should be medically treated. Some mothers who go through postpartum psychosis get really bad hallucinations. They start to believe that their child are possess with demons or evil spirts. This illness reminds me a lot about schizophrenia. Schizophrenia also is an illness that will cause you to have hallucinations or hear voices inside of your head. It will also make you see things that aren’t really there. They will also have a lot of delusions or false beliefs. Women who breastfeed are less likely to harm their offspring. Over half of mothers have a mild case of postpartum psychosis. In some cases …show more content…
Andrea Yates was born Andrea Pia Kennedy on July 2, 1964, in Houston, Texas. She married her husband Rusty Yates in the year 1993. She than had five children with him. Rusty Yates was a disciple of her Pastor Michael Peter Woroniecki. Through several sermons and phone calls, Pastor Michael stated that their children were doomed because of their parent’s sins. The Woronieckis also preached that married couples should have as many children as possible. “Over the next seven years Andrea gave birth to all five of her children and suffered a miscarriage, all the while plunging deeper into mental illness.”( W. DENNO, 2012). Andrea Yates drowned all five of her kids one by one on June 20, 2001. Her oldest child was 7 and her youngest was 6 months old at the time of their deaths. Months later, she was convicted of capital murder in Harris County. She was sentenced to life in prison and a possibility of prole after 40 years. She than filed an appeal, she than pleaded not guilty for reasons of insanity. She was then moved to a mental hospital where she was treated for postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder. She was roomed with another mother who killed her 6 month old child. Andrea was diagnosed with mild depression when she was 17. She was one of those people who didn’t pay attention to the signs. Andrea also had bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows