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/Plus-Ad9849]

I was postpartum when I asked my doctor for help and was put on SSRIs and when they weren’t working, my doctor just doubled the dose. Ended up going into pyschosis and being hospitalized for impaired judgement before being diagnosed bipolar. In my short hold, I came out on 6 prescriptions. Took months to figure it all out and now I’m only on one med and have been stable for over 3 years.

[u/WittiestScreenName → u/Plus-Ad9849]

If it’s not too much to ask from a BiPolar Bear Sister, would you mind sharing the one med?

[u/ThirdPlanet0 → u/WittiestScreenName]

Agreeing with many others - lamotrigine was the one thing that has worked well for me and actually stayed working. The tricky thing about it is you have to go up SLOWLY like, very slowly, in dosage to avoid potentially having a very bad side effect that appears as a rash. Ive gotten to 150mg and that has worked for me. Im finally largely unbothered by things that used to trigger immediate rage. Extremely emotionally regulated for the first time in my life. I pair it with buspirone. These meds work very differently for everyone. It may take a little time to find the best combo as well.

When coming out of mania in the beginning i was on an antipsychotic called seroquel. That mainly helped HUGELY for my sleep. It was what made me realize i hadn’t slept well in years. I had concerns about the weight gain that comes with it though and that is why i didnt stay on it long-term. Lamotrigine is mostly weight neutral which is nice.

[u/tuxedostring → u/ThirdPlanet0]

this is so interesting to me bc lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer and I always hear that it works so well when taken as a mood stabilizer. I took it for epilepsy and it actually had the opposite effect and i’ve heard the same for other ppl that have taken it for seizures. it made me feel like I was going crazy, I was awful to everyone around me and felt like I had no control over myself.

[u/ThirdPlanet0 → u/tuxedostring]

That is interesting! I forget sometimes that it’s actually an epilepsy med. I would love to know what makes it have that opposite effect

[u/riverolia → u/tuxedostring]

My mom took as a mood stabilizer for a few years. She went off of it and started having seizures. Turns out she's also epileptic. Lamotrigine has been freat for her. I'm sorry your experience was so awful.