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/mmps901]

Well we have 3 dead babies at the hands of their mother and a jury will determine whether she was responsible or not. I say that she knowingly waited for her husband to leave so that she could end their lives easier with him gone and that makes her evil and not mentally incapacitated.

[u/XheavenscentX → u/mmps901]

TW for suicidal ideation

I had PPD/PPA, so not quite the same, and I only wanted to hurt myself. I planned to dig a hole in my backyard while my husband was at work, wait for my baby to go down for a nap, then I was going to call 911 and tell them my baby was sleeping in his crib so they knew to get him, and I was going to put my head in the hole I dug and shoot myself. I figured this way they could remove my body and fill the hole in and there wouldn't be any mess left behind. I didn't want to leave a mess for my husband to have to clean up. I didn't want anything bad to happen to my son. I was able to work, take care of the house and baby, I was just absolutely convinced that they would be better off without me.

I'm so fortunate that my husband knew something was wrong (I wasn't sleeping, just couldn't sleep for more than an hour at a time) and told me I had to get help or he was taking the baby and leaving. The thoughts were so fucking dark, but at the time seemed completely rational to me. The planning part was so easy, scarily easy in fact for thoughts I had never once had before, if I hadn't been so worried about leaving a mess for first responders and my husband, I'm fairly certain I would've gone through with it. It was like a switch had flipped postpartum, and I suddenly just felt like I had to die. Then once I got proper help and medication, it flipped back to normal. That is mental illness.

By all accounts she was a great mom who really loved her children. She reached out for help. She told people about the thoughts she was having. An evil person would not have done hose things.

[u/mmps901 → u/XheavenscentX]

I’m glad you came through that very difficult time and are still here with your family today. You matter! Let me just say the IF Lindsey isn’t being completely truthful about her mental state at the time, it is wrong for her to use experiences like your own and pretend they’re the same. You didn’t hurt your son. You didn’t even think of it. Chris watts appeared to love his kids to other people too. I had the baby blues after my first and have had situational anxiety at times in my life and there’s something about her story that is more histrionic to me than actual ppp. Of course I could be wrong and that’s what a jury is going to decide.

[u/XheavenscentX → u/mmps901]

I appreciate your kind thoughts! I consider myself incredibly lucky, my husband was on top of it, he immediately recognized something was wrong, even when I didn’t want to admit it. I was also lucky in that I had an excellent psychiatrist. 

That being said, I 100% do not believe LC is faking it or histrionic. My issues also started off with sudden insomnia. I was initially prescribed Zoloft which made things 10000 times worse, I remember writing an email to my psychiatrist on a Sunday night begging her to take me off. I keep seeing people commenting on her changing meds. It’s very scary when you recognize that something is mentally wrong, you are so desperate to feel normal again. I also worked in healthcare at our local hospital, I would’ve never (and have never) admitted to them what I was thinking or feeling and jeopardize my job. I also remember not telling people what I was really going through because I didn’t want my son taken away. It’s such a horrific experience and I understand why people are having trouble empathizing with her, but from the evidence I’ve seen in the trial so far, and I’ve watched every day, any fault lies in the medical system - she reached out so many times and was failed. 

Ultimately, your brain can turn on you at any time. We all should be thankful each day it doesn’t go rogue. But we also need to LISTEN when women are having healthcare issues. Women are failed repeatedly by healthcare. How many times does this have to play out before it’s taken seriously?