Three years ago a young mother here had postpartum psychosis (PPP).  It, being undiagnosed and untreated, led to her killing her young child.  As of last week, she has been sentenced to 8 years in prison.

PPP is the same thing Andrea Yates (2001, in Texas) suffered.  And the same thing the woman back in the 1960’s here in Hawaii also endured.  Her name was Maggie Young.  Both she and Andrea Yates killed their own children.  Same number of children. (eta: 5 children each)

While Andrea Yates was initially sentenced to prison, in Texas (you know, the death sentence state), she was later sentenced to a treatment facility.

Maggie Young, here in Hawaii was never sentenced to prison.  She was sent to the State Hospital.  1965.

I’m a little confused here, folks.  A teen suffers the same illness, kills her one child and she goes to prison??  Where’s the treatment?  How does this make sense?

Postpartum psychosis is a treatable illness.  It often goes with bipolar disorder, but it’s often the birth of a child that brings out the realization of a bipolar condition.  Screening all mothers, during their first year after a birth, for postpartum illnesses is something that can be very effective in catching this kind of thing; it takes 5 minutes; educating all new mothers about all the types of postpartum illness can be lifesaving.  …