...Postpartum Psychosis Motherhood the Sad, the Mad, and the Insane Laurie Hackney Women, Crime, and Criminal Justice Dr. Connolly March 21, 2011 Postpartum Psychosis Motherhood the Sad, the Mad, and the Insane On the heartbreaking morning of June 20, 2001, Andrea Pia Yates was arrested and charged for the filicide of her children. One by one, this seemingly devoted mother of five drowned all of her children in the bathtub of their family home. Singularly, she put her three youngest children to death, taking their bodies from the tub fully clothed and wet, then placed them upon their bed, and covered them up. She proceeding doing the same with her youngest child, but while she was drowning Mary, her oldest son Noah walked in and asked what she was doing before he turned and ran away. She gave chase, caught up with him in the hall, then dragged him back to the bathroom and proceeded to terminate him with Mary dead in tub. Andrea then took Mary and placed her in the arms of the three youngest children leaving Noah behind dead and alone in the bath. Factors Relating to the Incident Being raised a Roman Catholic; Yates converted her religious beliefs to that of her husband’s prior to marriage. In this religion, people are expected to have as many children as nature will allow. Even while Andrea was awaiting trial, it was reported that her husband felt so sure of his wife’s acquittal that he was already speaking about having more children. This notion left the attorneys...
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...The Baby Yellows “The Yellow Wallpaper”, a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an unnerving tale about a woman and her spiral into psychosis. Mirroring the author’s actual experiences with depression and the “resting cure”, the story criticizes medical care that ignores patient concerns and deprives them of emotional outlets that could have been beneficiary towards a healthy mind. Set in the late nineteenth century, “The Yellow Wallpaper” illustrates the psychological effects of the popular “resting cure” and how the narrator is influcenced by it. While the illness the narrator has is never actually said, it is very heavily implied that she is suffering from postpartum depression. Eventually, her husband’s reliance on the “resting cure” and denying her healthy mental activities is what causes her depression to grow into postpartum psychosis. Postpartum depression is a form of depression typically affecting women after childbirth. Symptoms of postpartum depression include hallucinations and delusions, extreme agitation or anxiety, overwhelming fatigue, bizarre behavior, mood swings, inability or refusal to eat or sleep, and over worrying about the infant. The narrator showcases all of these symptoms, leading to the heavy assumption that she is suffering from postpartum depression. The narrator regularly experiences hallucinations, seeing a woman trapped behind bars in the pattern of the wallpaper. Gilman writes, “The front pattern does move- and no wonder! The woman...
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...She was an active child and got very involved in school activities. She had graduated high school as Valedictorian. She went on to receive a nursing degree from the University Of Texas Health Science Center and worked as a registered nurse. She met her husband Rusty at age 25, dated for 3 years and married in 1993. After the birth of her 1st child, Noah, she quit nursing and became a stay at home mom. Not long after is when she began to exhibit extremely volatile visions of someone being stabbed and also audio hallucinations of Satan (the devil) speaking to her. She never mentioned these to her husband due to his “Bible-Inspired notions about family and motherhood” and kept these secrets from everyone. That is when Andrea’s postpartum psychosis began but went undiagnosed and untreated. Andrea Yates got involved in, what I would call a religious cult with a preacher named Michael Woroniecki, who called himself a “self-proclaimed prophet” . Both he and Andrea believed that “it was better to kill oneself than to mislead a child in the way of Jesus” and this statement is what she would repeat later when she was in prison for killing all of her children. She continued to have 4 more children for a total of 5 but right before the birth of her last child she had had a...
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...Mood DISORDERS Mood DISORDERS are defined by the presence of mood EPISODES Types of Mood DISORDERS • depressive (major depressive disorder, dysthymia) • bipolar (Bipolar I/II disorder, cyclothymia) • secondary to GMC, substances, medications _ mood EPISODES represent a combination of symptoms comprising a predominant mood state • types of Mood EPISODES: major depressive, manic, mixed, hypomanic MOOD EPISODES Major Depressive Episode (MDE) A. at least 5 of the following symptoms present for 2 weeks, one of which must be either depressed mood or loss of interest • M ood - depressed • S leep - increased or decreased (if decreased, often early morning awakening) • I nterest - decreased • G uilt/worthlessness • E nergy - decreased or fatigued • C oncentration/difficulty making decisions • A ppetite and/or weight increase or decrease • P sychomotor activity - increased or decreased • S uicidal ideation B. symptoms do not meet criteria for mixed episode C. symptoms cause significant social or occupational impairment/distress D. exclude if substance-induced or due to a GMC E. symptoms not better accounted for by bereavement (a constellation of depressive symptoms meeting criteria for a MDE appearing within 2 months of the death of a close relative) Manic Episode A. a period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood lasting at least 1 week (or less if hospitalized) B. during this period three of the following symptoms (four if mood is only irritable; mnemonic...
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...Hello, I am back! I have just finished my research on abnormality and psychological disorders for humans. Before I go into the different abnormalities and the disorders, I think it is best if you first understood what is considered “abnormal.” Everyone has their own view on what is normal or abnormal; you may think someone is normal when they actually are a threat to the people around them. Also, you can see someone in the park wearing something outlandish and think he or she is very weird, but that just might be their sense of style. This would be known as social nonconformity, where the person may be wearing an unusual outfit or they may have colorful tattoos and piercings covering their whole body. This does not necessarily mean that the person is mentally unstable. There is also something called statistical abnormality, where the person scores extremely high or extremely low on a score of some dimension, like an IQ test. These very high or very low scores will fall in the top and bottom 2.5% on a bell-curve graph. The lower 2.5% is the portion that is categorized with different disorders. The study of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders is called psychopathology. These psychological problems are classified using the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders). This book helps psychologists determine what disorder a person has and the best way to treat the patient. A mental disorder is a significant impairment in psychological functioning. There...
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...is because they are in denial of pregnancy. This type of denial is psychological and can be derived in a young woman with previous mental illness or no prior mental instability at all. The point is that a young woman in this particular “state of mind” is overwhelmed by fear of and shame of an unplanned pregnancy. It is their emotional immaturity and lack of resources that keeps these young women from understanding and coping with the repercussions of their pregnancies which is why most of them have the inability to show any remorse for killing their child. Furthermore, most of the young women cannot even recall being pregnant or even giving birth at all. (Meyer 53-54) Another psychological theory is based on the psychotic offender. Psychosis is a mental disorder. Psychotic people have been found to be out of touch with...
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...post-partum depression, quite possibly a severe case of schizophrenia. While the reader may believe that the confinement was what had driven her into madness, a closer reading shows the narrator is already completely out of her mind and therefore unreliable from the very onset of the story. Right away the narrator tells us that her husband John doesn’t believe she’s sick. He says she has a “temporary nervous depression” and a “slight hysterical tendency.” The first could possible be a symptom of postpartum depression, which according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is defined by intense feelings of sadness, fear, anger, and anxiety that interfere with a new mother’s ability to function normally. If left untreated the condition worsens, but nowhere is there any mention of “hysterics.” If we examine the narrator’s journal entries we can easily see that her behavior is a bit more psychotic, even from the very beginning, than a diagnose of postpartum depression would permit. After the reader is filled in on John’s sentiments about the narrator’s current emotional state, she changes the subject as it appears the discourse of her condition upsets her. She then goes on to describe the strange old house where her and John have taken up residency. She describes the “delicious” gardens with “grape covered arbors,” and the dilapidated greenhouse, but once she begins to describe the house itself, she instantly focuses on their bedroom, and then to...
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...This assignment will focus on a short communication between myself and a mother (Caroline) whom I had met three times before, at the antenatal, birth, and six-to-eight week contacts. I had cancelled a three-to-four month visit with her that day on the advice of my mentor. Caroline was an experienced mum and the visit had been mainly to aid my development (Appendix One). She had sounded fine on the phone and had told me she was coming into clinic. Borton’s (1970) reflective model will be used to guide this essay, and I will analyse how the experience has improved my skills in building therapeutic relationships, while recognising areas that require work in order to fulfil my role. All names have been changed to protect confidentiality, as is the responsibility of any registered nurse (NMC 2008). Mental and emotional wellbeing in all family members is intrinsic to the wellbeing of children. The “Healthy Child Programme” (DH 2009) identifies the assessment and promotion of this area as a core part of the health visitor’s role. A common mental health problem that impacts on children is post-natal depression, affecting 10-15% of women (Royal College of Psychiatrists n.d.). Infants whose mothers have post-natal depression often have less positive life outcomes, as discussed in Every Child Matters (HM Treasury 2003). It can impact negatively on emotional, social and mental development, often demonstrated through behavioural problems (Wrate et al., 1985), and neurological problems (Dale...
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...The author of this work is currently employed as a community psychiatric nurse whose remit is to work with those clients with serious and enduring mental illness, the majority of whom have a medical diagnosis of schizophrenia and related psychosis. Over the past 10 years there's been a growing movement towards diverse treatments for schizophrenia other than the acknowledged role of medication as a treatment modality (Birchwood and Tarrier 1993). Developments in psychological theory have led to a number of innovative psychological treatments drawn from human experimental psychology such as behavioural and social psychology and cognitive science. Therapies based on cognitive behavioural theory have been rapidly developing, initially for the so called ‘neurotic disorders’ but in recent years evidence has accumulated to suggest that these cognitive behavioural approaches can be effective for those people suffering from psychosis ( Williams 1995). The aim of this assignment is to explore the basis of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and review its’ therapeutic application to schizophrenia. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is an evolutionary paradigm that came about a from the merging of the established paradigm of behavioural therapy and contemporary cognitive therapy (Clarke and Fairburn 1997). Behavioural therapy historically focused on anxiety, phobic and obsessional disorders. Treatments were aligned to the learning theories of Pavlov and Skinner,...
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...Bipolar: The Emotional Curse Many people today suffer from a condition called manic-depressive disorder, more common known by many people as bipolar disorder. Bipolar is mental illness that has been around since the 16 century. This condition affects a person by giving them instant mood swings. One can be happy at one point time and in a few seconds be upset for no reason. It’s a condition that affects approximately 5.7 million people in the United Sates or 5% of people in the world. (Bipolar Disorder Statistics) many people are affected with this condition and are not well educated on the topic and have many questions like where did I get it? What can I do? Is there a cure? Most often the question is why me? The cause this condition is a chemical imbalance in one’s brain. Three brain chemicals noradrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine are involved in both brain and bodily functions. Noradrenaline has been consistently linked to psychiatric mood disorders such as depression. Serotonin is connected to many body functions such as sleep, wakefulness, eating, sexual activity, impulsivity, learning, and memory. Lastly the brain chemical dopamine is commonly linked with the pleasure system of the brain. (Kent). Emotions are controlled by the limbic system; it lies on both sides of the thalamus, just under the cerebrum. Studies have shown that’s this trait is genetic and is passed down from generation to generation. Just because a person may have the bipolar gene doesn’t necessarily...
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...Breon Ebanks Ms. Masciantonio AP English Literature 23 February 2012 Hamlet Analysis Essay “It’s is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane”. (Philip K Dick). Hamlet is always questioning himself about his father’s murder, his mother’s guilt and his life. His obsession causes his insanity. Hamlet is depressed, confused, and paranoid the traumatizing events on his life. Hamlet is depressed at his mother’s lustful behavior towards his uncle, so he’s taking his anger out on Ophelia. In doing so, Hamlet was saying mean things that made her feel bad about her especially when he told her “Get thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me,” (3.1. 123-126). Hamlet shows a strange way of loving Ophelia because one minute he loves her the next minute he’s rude to her. These actions prove his instability. Normal people do not love someone one minute and curse her the next because that is just unrealistic. Lidz said, “Perhaps he seeks to hide the meaning of his embittered and melancholic behavior under the guise of being depressed over Ophelia’s withdrawal of her affection, but it seems a cruel and deceitful way to treat his beloved” (Lidz, Theodore). Hamlet is depressed because of Ophelia’s withdrawal even though he is just being manipulative to her. Hamlet is confused and disorientated. He considers...
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...While the readers are never given a definite diagnosis for any of the patients it seems easy to assume that Chief Bromden is paranoid schizophrenic. At the beginning of the story I really wanted some way to distinguish Chief Bromden’s actual thoughts and the schizophrenic thoughts and delusions. I felt that using and italicized font might help the reader differentiate more easily between the two because it was hard to follow at times, especially considering he is surrounded by mentally ill people. However as the story went on I realized it was essential to not distinguish between what is real and what isn’t because all of it was real to Chief Bromden. Through the majority of the book I also wondered if this would be a story similar to the movie “Fight Club,” where one character was actually a delusion created in the mind of another. I often thought that McMurphy was someone that was created in the mind of the Chief. When McMurphy showed up he seemed to compliment everything that the Chief lacked: he got along with and knows how to charm everyone, he was friendly and liked to talk to everyone, and most of all he has confidence (sometimes too much). I don’t think it would have been too far-fetched of an idea for the story because in addition to being roommates, the two always seemed to be together. Also, as the story continues and McMurphy and Chief Bromden eventually form a relationship and McMurphy is the only person that picks up on the fact that the Chief is not actually deaf...
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...Introduction Psychosis (Psyche – Greek for the mind or soul; -osis referring to abnormal condition) is a general umbrella term for mental states traditionally characterised by a loss of contact with reality, during which sufferers may experience episodes of hallucinations and delusional thinking, distorted thoughts or behaviours, even personality changes. Current criteria for diagnosis includes experiencing one or more symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behaviour, negative symptoms; disturbed social cognition and functioning, bizarre behaviour, emotional labiality (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Traditionally treatment and conceptualisation of psychotic symptoms has been more the domain of psychiatry. The use of ‘psychosis’ as a term first emerged towards the end of the 1800’s as a new label for ‘madness’ and as a way of classifying illness of the mind. It wasn’t until the mid 1900’s there was a shift in the perception of psychosis and possible psychological processes contributing to psychotic experiences. Bentall (1993) further supported this by writing about understanding psychotic symptoms based on an individuals’ presenting distress/ difficulties rather than focusing on a medical model of psychosis treatment. Though Aaron Beck in the development of the cognitive approach to emotional disorders did explore the idea of adapting a cognitive model to psychosis in a paper in 1952, “Successful outpatient...
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...Paranoid Schizophrenia Case: Daniel Paul Schreber Born on July 25, 1842, Daniel Schreber was known as a distinguished and renowned judge who suffered from psychosis when he was in his middle ages (Meyer, Chapman, & Weaver, 2009). The text describes Schreber’s obsessed thoughts as having sex as a female were the beginnings of his psychotic episodes. For Schreber, this contained a lot of frightening and unfamiliar imagery and considered it to be an outside source that compelled him to think this way as opposed to coming from himself; from within. Thinking irrationally, he suspected that his doctors were somehow implanting these thoughts in his brain with the use of hypnosis and telepathy (Meyer, Chapman, et al., 2009). After some additional thinking, Schreber began to believe that his thoughts were instilled within him by God and that is was God’s decision to make him a woman. Although he figured this was beyond human ability and deemed as “miraculous” it still tormented him (Meyer, Chapman, et al., 2009). The text describes Schreber’s case as containing many different personality disorders, or abnormal disorders, such as anxiety and mood disorders. Freud described Schreber’s primary symptoms as paranoid schizophrenia as well as psychosis in nature. Freud came to the conclusion that Schreber’s thoughts and delusions were brought on upon by his rejection and denial of his homosexuality (Meyer, Chapman, et al., 2009). Other psychologist at the time believed that homosexuality...
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...Schizophrenia is one of the most common serious and scary psychiatric illnesses in the United States. It’s a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that has affected people throughout history. Approximately 1% of all Americans suffer from this illness, but it occurs in 10% of people who have a first-degree relative with the disorder. A person with schizophrenia hears voices that no one else around them hears. They believe that people around them are constantly plotting to harm them. They act really agitated. Schizophrenia not only affects the person but it also affects their friends and family. The symptoms of schizophrenia fall into three general categories: positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Positive symptoms are psychotic behaviors. Some of the positive symptoms of n,Disorders. Negative symptoms are related with interruptions to normal emotions and behaviors. Negative symptoms are often confused for Depression. Some of the negative symptoms are: Little or no interaction, Lack of beginning or completing a planned activity, & Flat affect which is when their face doesn’t move or they speak in a monotonous voice. Cognitive symptoms are more restrained. These symptoms are harder to recognize. They are often detected during more intense tests. Some Cognitive symptoms are: Having a hard time understanding information and using it to make decisions, hard time focusing or paying attention, and having a hard time using information immediately...
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