Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

So yet another disgusting act is being blamed on postpartum depression. (If you haven't read it yet, here's the story on CNN - Mom allegedly cut off baby's arms.)

I've been involved in the mental health world for a long time and am studying to become a mental health counselor now. To me, a person who cuts off the arms of their own child, or drowns her five children, has to be something a little more than depressed. I think it's a terrible thing for these defenses to be used as it attaches a terrible stigma to a fairly common emotional disorder such as depression.

What are your feelings on this?

Re: Mon Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I think its disgusting that a person could do that to there own flesh and blood.
I don't know about it being postpartum but psychopath rings a bell.

Re: Mon Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I read this story this morning and was disgusted...I actually cried while reading it..I just can't imagine someone doing that to their infant....

When Andrea Yates drowned her children I was appalled...we were talking about it in college when a health professor started explaining post partum. In no way do I think its a defense or a proper explanation for hurting your child....but supposedly in cases like these women experienced, it had to do with such a severe drop in hormone levels after pregnancy that cause psychotic thoughts and for them to sink into a completely dark depression. I would love to know exactly what goes through their heads...its so hard to understand how someone can come to that point. I think in other cases there were many cries for help and signs that something was severly wrong...if only someone could have stepped in..

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I was just looking up information on the condition..and what it is would most definitely be Postpartum psychosis...very scary!


Postpartum psychosis is a very serious mental illness that can affect new mothers. This illness can happen quickly, often within the first 3 months after childbirth. Women can lose touch with reality, often having auditory hallucinations (hearing things that aren't actually happening, like a person talking) and delusions (seeing things differently from what they are). Visual hallucinations (seeing things that aren't there) are less common. Other symptoms include insomnia (not being able to sleep), feeling agitated (unsettled) and angry, and strange feelings and behaviors. Women who have postpartum psychosis need treatment right away and almost always need medication. Sometimes women are put into the hospital because they are at risk for hurting themselves or someone else.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

That is crazy. I think the most normal person themselves can be capable of causing shaken baby syndrome if something in them snaps. That's horrifying enough, but cutting a baby's arms off? Only a crazy, sick person can do that.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I would cut my own hand off before I hurt my baby - why don't these f'ing biotches get some help or the people closest to them see some warning signs...

I'm so sick right now

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

i could never hurt my own child. its sad because there are soo many resources available for peolpe who suffer from mental illness. i read the article, and i think this woman used post pardum as a convenient excuse for killing this poor child. i have no sympathy for her or for anyone like her.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I DONT like the f'n smurk she has on her face in the picture AT ALL!!!!!!!

What is it w/ these Southerners??? This is the third crazy case of 'post pardum depression' --it disgusts the hell out of me.

And, if she called 911, she obviously knew she did something harmful. I dont get the reasoning behind it...and I never will.

Poor girl was 11 months! 11 months--that is one month short of a year old--which means what happend the first 10 months of the childs life--she was able to get by--what went wrong in the girls 11 month of life?

I swear I'd love to take these heads of these mothers and smash them like this against a brick f'n WALL!

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

What a sick world

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

It's sickening, it really is.

I agree no sympathy!!!

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I wish they had punishments to go with the crime - someone should cut her arms off.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

She is obviously not right..too bad she didn't get the help she needed. There are treatments that could have saved her and the baby. Now the baby is gone and she will rot in jail or worse.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

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Posted by brideinapril

I wish they had punishments to go with the crime - someone should cut her arms off.

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I agree!

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

OHMIGOSH! That is a terrible story. They better not let the other children back into the home if she's there.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

I'm horrified!

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

How sad and disturbing. Whether it was post partum depression or not, this woman was suffering from some form of psychosis and ws obviously not receiving the proper mental health care. She has been in the hospital and had been seen by a psychiatrist - who knows if she was on medication, and if she was, if she was taking it correctly. She obviously needed to be receving more intensive psychiatric treatment...

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

i'm not an expert - but I would tend to think there was some sort of 'imbalance' prior to the post-partun-psychosis....

so sad.

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

She looks posessed

Makes me sick!

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

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Posted by MrsTC

She looks posessed

Makes me sick!

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You took the words right out of my mouth! This woman is crazy. How can you hurt your own child or any child for that matter?

Re: Mom Allegedly Cut Off Baby's Arms - Postpartum Depression

So sad I feel bad for her other 2 daughters.