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Five children in Houston are dead, and a particularly hidden form of mental illness may be to blame.
Andrea Yates, a middle class, stay-at-home suburban mother, called police on June 20, 2001 and told them she had drowned her children, ages six months to seven years old, in the bathtub.
While some on the outside of this situation say Yates is a monster, many others who've walked a bit in her shoes are hoping this is a wake up call for us all.
Andrea Yates has suffered from a severe form of postpartum depression (PPD) since the birth of her fourth child. It is likely that PPD will be part of her defense, as an explanation of how a reportedly loving mother could do such a thing.
Why discuss this tragedy on this site, where most of our visitors are trying desperately to attain the circumstance that Yates so horrifically destroyed, the circumstance of being a parent?
PPD is not uncommon. Estimates are that around 20% of new mothers experience this mental illness, and a shocking one in one thousand may go on to act out tragically.
Those numbers alone, and the Yates family tragedy among others, warrant that the issue of postpartum depression be brought to the forefront for everyone to consider.
Perhaps especially for our site's visitors, PPD is one of those things that is difficult to talk about, let alone comprehend as a possibility for oneself. After all, if one has tried for a long time and gone to many extremes, financially, emotionally, and physically, to conceive, how could one be anything other than overjoyed once that miracle baby is safely delivered?
Unfortunately, the reality is that women who have experienced infertility may in fact be more at risk for postpartum depression.
© Tracy Morris
