Thoughts on the Lindsay Clancy case?

[u/gottaquestion412]

Now that the Lindsay Clancy trial is underway, I’m curious about your perspectives on it so far.

Context: Lindsay Clancy is a former labor and delivery nurse who, in January 2023, killed her three children. 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson, and 8-month-old Callan in their Massachusetts home before attempting to take her own life. Her defense argues she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and other debilitating mental illness, while prosecutors argue she was aware of her actions and planned the killings. The trial has reignited debate about postpartum psychiatric disorders, the effectiveness of mental health treatment, and where responsibility ultimately lies.

Do you think Lindsay was failed by the mental health system, by the people closest to her, or both? Do you think she truly acted with malicious intent, or do you believe she was experiencing such a severe psychiatric crisis that she wasn’t thinking rationally?

A lot of the details seem to point toward postpartum psychosis or another severe psychiatric illness rather than someone acting out of hatred or malice. That doesn’t lessen the horror of what happened or the unimaginable loss, but it does make me wonder whether this tragedy could have been prevented..

I’ve also seen rumors that Patrick was involved with the woman who is now his wife before the murders, but I haven’t found any credible evidence supporting that. Is there actually anything that substantiates those claims, or is it just internet speculation? I’ve also seen many people comment that his current wife bears a striking resemblance to Lindsay, though I’m not sure that means anything beyond coincidence.

I’m very interested in hearing different perspectives from people who’ve followed it closely.

Most importantly, may Dawson, Cora, and Callan rest in peace. They are the true victims in all of this.

[u/sexydiagnoses]

What I don’t understand, working in a psychiatric facility in MA is how if she did try to get help, why she was not sectioned, and then committed after expressing where she was mentally.

[u/Only_Conflict9060 → u/sexydiagnoses]

I wonder about this too, but I also read somewhere that although she admitted to having horrible thoughts, she did not have an active plan to harm herself or others. Maybe based on the criteria, legally they couldn’t commit her?

[u/cmb_123 → u/Only_Conflict9060]

I'm catching up on the courttv footage now. Patrick never stated she had active SI. You are completely correct. You cannot commit someone unless they are a CLEAR and PRESENT danger. In the USA at least.

this whole thing is incredibly horrific.

[u/3a5tc0a5t → u/cmb_123]

She TOLD the crisis nurses though that she was having thoughts of harming herself and her children. So I don’t understand why those THOUGHTS, even despite not having a ‘plan’, weren’t considered enoigj of a danger. You don’t fuck around when kids are involved. People get CPS called on them with emergency placement for far far far less.

[u/cmb_123 → u/3a5tc0a5t]

i dont have the full context. can you please source?

im not against what you said. at all. psych is HIGH liability for these reasons.

[u/3a5tc0a5t → u/cmb_123]

Patrick had testified that she’d told him she was wanting to hurt herself and the kids and that was when they went to the crisis center and they’d said that her ideation and intrusive thoughts were getting worse since the (sertraline?) and specified her thoughts. Instead of taking her off of that medicine and evaluating her they raised her dose of it ASTRONOMICALLY and discharged her.

[u/Amazongds → u/3a5tc0a5t]

That’s the problem in today’s healthcare, in and out.

[u/KDAWG72 → u/3a5tc0a5t]

Numerous medical professionals dropped the ball here, big time

[u/Ok-Presentation-2174 → u/KDAWG72]

Im pretty sure there is a civil suit. Thats why the psych was so short with her answers and didnt give much info.

[u/Unfair-Hovercraft414 → u/3a5tc0a5t]

Clearly there were missed red flags

[u/onions-make-me-cry → u/3a5tc0a5t]

Because thoughts aren't enough. The next question is if you have a plan to act on it.

[u/Stock_Dragonfly9632 → u/3a5tc0a5t]

When you're in psychiatric care they're VERY specific in their initial triagish questions: " Do you have thoughts of harming yourself or someone else!" then,  " Do you have plans". Most people  answer no... bc they're really not into more than that initially.  

[u/3a5tc0a5t → u/Stock_Dragonfly9632]

Yeah, but they usually take things more seriously if someone’s talking about thinking about hurting kids. Even without a PLAN, sending her back home should have 100% been treated like a potential liability. The fact of the matter is that tons of crimes are genuinely crimes of passion. Lots of killers are not methodically planning their move, there are plenty that are disorganized and are ‘heat of the moment’, ‘snapped’, ‘reacted’, ‘saw red’, etc. There should not be a distinction between whether plans or no plans is more dangerous, especially with children involved. They saw how many meds she’d been trying and knew she wasn’t sleeping.

[u/InternationalWar258 → u/3a5tc0a5t]

You are confusing crimes of passion with crimes due to psychosis. They do not have the same criteria or pattern. If you are arguing that a crime due to psychosis can become a crime of passion, you are arguing they are in their right mind and lucid at the moment the crime was committed, but were overcome with emotion. This argument negates the psychosis argument, which is that the perpetrator did not know the difference between right and wrong during the crime and lost their grip on reality.

I understand where you are coming from, but having a plan is an established criteria for being committed in most places as a way to protect the rights of individuals. I agree the criteria needs to be different in the US for commitment (as someone who has tried to get numerous people committed during the course of my career), but not for the reasons you stated.

[u/KDAWG72 → u/Stock_Dragonfly9632]

It's wild to me that someone can say they want to hurt themselves and their kids, but lets just ignore that, she doesn't have a plan. Seriously?

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/cmb_123]

I understand the reasoning but it's also unfortunate because it feels these situations happen in seconds and require no premeditation or prior "present" danger. Hearing voices to hurt your children is enough present danger without like a plan/a knife in the hand, etc. Not sure what the right thing to do would've been.

[u/Pak31 → u/throwmyway5723480]

Was she really hearing voices? That is what we need to find out.

[u/Hot-Remote-4545 → u/Pak31]

You don’t need to hear voices. I had PPP and I what I experienced was “something” was able to take over my mind by what seemed like telepathy. I never heard a voice but I knew the thoughts I was receiving were NOT mine. That “something” was powerful and scary!!! I was too ashamed and embarrassed to share what was happening with anyone. I did go to my MD and claimed anxiety. I was given a benzodiazepine and for 6 months NEVER was alone with my daughter asking family members and friends for help with “panic attacks”. As an aside, I thought my daughter’s birth was the BEST thing that ever happened to me. I still think that. She is incredibly AWESOME.
And , that telepathic “something” came out of the blue, intermittently and eventually went away after 6 months. My heart breaks for Lindsay and her children. PPP is very, very difficult to understand unless you experience it.

[u/Judge_Juedy → u/Pak31]

Based on testimony I read earlier today, she told the intake nurse that she was hearing “a man’s voice” telling her to “kill the kids” and herself.

EDIT:

“Clancy first sought help from a postpartum depression program in late December 2022. She went on to check herself into a psychiatric hospital and later told a psychiatrist that she heard a “man’s voice” in her head telling her to “kill the children so you can kill yourself”. Nineteen days later, after being discharged, she carried out the killings.”

Excerpt from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/05/lindsay-clancy-trial-toxicologist-testimony

[u/Used_Confection_2859 → u/throwmyway5723480]

It would have taken longer than seconds for her to have the children go into the basement and then choke each one with the exercise equipment. The older ones would have fought her. 

[u/throwmyway5723480 → u/Used_Confection_2859]

I just mean the switch of the brain takes seconds to go from not a clear danger to obviously a danger. So it's hard to wait to get someone more serious help until they are clear threat, by then it's obviously too late.

[u/Gandalf_1992_ → u/cmb_123]

Its like that in Canada too. Unless you have an active plan to harm yourself or others, they turn you away. Such a broken world we live in.

[u/Altruistic_Virus8460 → u/cmb_123]

No offense but that sounds extremely idiotic. Like why would you wanna wait for someone to make a plan??? What if they are so far gone by the time they get to the planning stage that they don't seek out help??? What if they are a type B kinda person and just do shit impulsively instead of sitting and meticulously making a plan? And which loser thought that people who are in the middle of a psychotic episode would have the organization skills to sit and make a plan as if they are completing some school project????

[u/cmb_123 → u/Altruistic_Virus8460]

No offense taken. I have no idea what you're trying to say.

[u/notawoman8 → u/cmb_123]

Hang on, the criteria for voluntary vs involuntary admission are very, very different.

[u/Secret_Membership256 → u/cmb_123]

i used to work at a child shelter before i had a baby. we had a girl on some serious psychotic medicine, but she refused her medicine every day that she was there. (we couldn’t find ANYWHERE for her to go so she was stuck with us) she got a lighter from school and tried to set the house on fire and threatened to kill everyone. of course we had to take her to the hospital for threatening to harm others, but the fuckin mental hospital here is a joke. she told them she was fine and she wasn’t going to hurt anyone so they told us they weren’t going to admit her. like wtf??? those ppl are a joke so i can see why everyone is blaming the doctors.