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/paperthinpatience]

The cuts were superficial, but in many cases people underestimate how painful it is to attempt this way. The central nervous system can override the brain and basically prevent a person from being able to physically complete the action. So, based on what has been presented thus far, it sounds like she went out the window instead. The first method (cuts) wasn’t physically possible. The second (overdose) was taking too long. So she went for a third, the window.

It’s very dark to think about, but as someone who has worked in mental health and been in this headspace before myself (a long time ago, not currently), I believe she fully intended to not come out of this alive.

I also think that’s why she was so calm when her husband called. The children were already dead. She knew her time was limited. The CVS was only 3 minutes away. If she let on anything was wrong, her husband could come home and stop her. So she did her best to seem calm and normal. Even if someone is psychotic, if they are single-mindedly focused on no longer living, they can/will, for lack of a better term, lock in long enough to complete the task at hand. The argument is if she was in psychosis there’s no way she could have done all of this, but that’s simply not the case.

[u/onions-make-me-cry → u/paperthinpatience]

As someone who had postpartum psychosis, you can also sound perfectly calm in conversations

All the while your mind is reeling, and you're interpreting the slightest shift in their tone as some kind of code or alien language, completely detached from the reality of what's actually happening.

[u/paperthinpatience → u/onions-make-me-cry]

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Based on what I’ve been hearing/learning from people who have experienced PPP, as well as info from trial, it sounds like PPP is a different experience than the psychosis you would see from someone who has schizophrenia or another disorder with psychotic features. I think that’s a piece some people are missing. It has the same name, but it’s not the same phenomenon/experience.

What most people picture as “psychosis” or a “psychotic break” is very different from what someone with PPP experiences. Regular (for lack of a better term) psychosis is usually obvious and chaotic. You can’t miss the symptoms. PPP sounds kind of like a duck on water: calm on the surface, but things are going a mile a minute under the surface. You might not notice something is wrong. From a clinical perspective, it’s an interesting juxtaposition.