State of Texas v. Andrea Yates

Mental Disorder and Symptoms Considered by the Court

Postpartum psychosis also called postnatal onset bipolar disorder, or puerperal psychosis is a severe psychiatric illness. The condition affects one in 500-1000 women that have an infant (NCT, 2017). Although there are claims that the rapid changes in pregnancy hormones at birth trigger the disease, the understanding of the causal elements is not clear. Still, genetic factors play a significant role for some people (NCT, 2017). Postpartum psychosis is a terrifying illness, both for the woman suffering from it and her relatives. Health professionals classify the condition as a psychiatric emergency since it can worsen quickly and requires early treatment (NCT, 2017). Since the woman might not know she has the illness, friends/family may need help from a health provider.

There were several symptoms considered by the court in the Andrea Yate's case. To start with, during her marriage, she continuously displayed a preoccupation with infant well-being, fluxes in mood, and mood lability (CNN Library, 2017). The moods ranged from over concern to frank delusions, and they manifested as suicide attempts associated with other situations in Andrea's life. These circumstances included the death of her father, displaced living conditions, her husband's strange behavior, home schooling of her children, and her increasing obsession with religious philosophy, her family's depressive illness history, and the pressure to bear more children (CNN Library, 2017). The defense argued that Andrea's mental condition resulted to her believing that she was justified for murdering her children.