Analysis of Andrea Yates - Essay Example

?Case analysis of Andrea Yates The horrific and tragic case of five children being drowned by their mother grabbed the attention of people all aroundthe world in 2001. In that year, Andrea Yates was on trial for the murder of her kids, and she had pleaded not guilty on insanity plea. Andrea was married to Russell Yates for ten years and they had initially led a normal and peaceful life. Later Russell started to notice changes in Andrea’s eating habits and she became highly reclusive. She was hospitalized in 1999 for showing symptoms of depression and also over-medication. During that treatment period, her husband was warned by the psychiatrist not to try for more children, as it would have further negative impacts on her mental health. However, they had their fifth children, and due to the resultant postpartum psychosis, she killed all her five children. She was found guilty for that heinous crime and was given a life imprisonment. “The jury found Andrea guilty of capital murder, but rather then recommending the death penalty, they voted for life prison. At the age of 77, in the year 2041, Andrea will be eligible for parole.” (Montaldo, n.d). This verdict was given in 2002. However, later the verdict was changed as her mental problem of postpartum psychosis was given prominence. That is, the California psychiatrist and prosecution witness Dr. Park Dietz, who examined Andrea found that, she had severe psychosis when she was drowning her kids and was not able to discriminate between what is good and bad. Hence, the second verdict by the Texas Court of Appeals stated that, Andrea would spend her life in a psychiatric ward after leaving the prison. There she would undergo continued treatment for unspecified period of time, even while being under court supervision and also unlikely to be released. “The verdict of life-changing turnaround for the 42-year-old former nurse who was originally sentenced to life in prison. That decision was thrown out and Yates was granted a new trail.” (Andrea Yates Case, 2007). From the case analysis of Andrea Yates, it can be understood that she was overwhelmed by motherhood. Moreover, she always considered herself as a bad mother. She was severely affected by the postpartum depression to an extent that she believed that the Satan in the form of cartoon pictures used to tease her for providing the children with chocolates and corn. It is clear that people are succumbing to psychological stress, sometimes influenced by religious leanings, to the extent that they become self- destructive and cause harm to fellow human beings. For example men stabbing his wife to death, mother killing her children on God’s command are some of the incidences that are occurring in our day to day life all around the world. The most vital and needed solution for such depressions would be early detection and proper medication. In the case of Andrea Yates, her father had been affected by psychosis. As genetic make up also plays a part in this mental disease, it is important to focus on family medical history while treating the diseases. In addition, she had been diagnosed to have “particular clinical syndromes, postpartum depression with psychosis, personality disorder, differed, psychosocial and environmental problems, severe multiple births.” (Turnheim, 2002). Thus, based on the various symptoms and the intensity of the condition, correct diagnosis has to be done and apt treatment has to prescribed. From the psychological perspective, Andrea Yates, as discussed above, had been affected by postpartum depression and other psychosocial problems. Appropriate drug therapy combined with psychological therapy would have kept the problem under control. However, in the Andrea’s case, although number of medical treatments was carried out, nothing was done on a consistent basis. Then, due to multiple child births and even the negative influence of the extremist sermons of Michael Peter Woroniecki, she became more depressed. It is a cruel behavior to kill one’s own lovable children, however when viewed from the psychological perspective, it can be assumed that the roller coaster of emotions, Andrea faced, because of various external influences caused imbalance in her mental state. Thus, if her post partum depression and the associated medical problems were treated medically and in particular psychologically, then her condition could have improved, impeding her to commit the heinous crime. While analyzing the case of Andrea Yates, it can also be stated that apart from her, other individuals can also be blamed for her extreme action. Her husband’s wrong actions could also been one of the key causes. That is, against the psychiatrist’s advice, he is the one who insisted to have more children. Friends and relatives of Andrea also revealed the fact that she did not want to have more children and her husband was the one who forced it. “Yates also explained that the birth of the couple’s fifth child and the death of his wife’s father had triggered another episode of extreme depression.” (Walsh, 2001). Also it had been pointed out that Andrea had stopped consuming the pills during the time of each pregnancy which ultimately resulted in the elevation of her emotional imbalance. He also did not want her to step out for a job, and wanted her to take care of the children. As, she became a stay-at-home mother, never stepping out of home that frequently, it contributed to the building up of her mental pressure. She also exhibited symptoms of schizophrenia during her adolescence state, and even showed severe signs of depression right after she finished the school, all of which could have been detected and treated then. The occurrence of postpartum is common among women during the birth of their first child. This can be overcome by proper drug therapy and psychological counseling. Moreover, the new mothers can also seek the assistance of their near and dear ones particularly their mothers and also mother-in-laws in bringing up the kid. In the case of Andrea Yates, she was left all alone in taking care of five children which was a difficult task. She had to face the severe psychotic episode in each and every stage of her life. From the legal perspective, one can assume that justice had been served to Andrea as she is presently serving at the psychiatric prison or mental institution undergoing regular treatments rather than in a normal prison. Instead of giving her the death sentence, the legal institutions understanding the element of insanity, made arrangements for her treatment as part of life sentence. Although many murders in sensational crimes have been convicted of murder despite their pleas of insanity, Ms. Yates was found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) “in a second trial granted after her appeal of her conviction in the first.” (Greene and Heilbrun, 2010). Similar incidents happen every now and then in every nook and corner of the world. The vital concepts which need to be concentrated from the above case analysis is that, just as the disease which attacks the human body, depression and other mental problems are also diseases which ‘attack’ the human mind. Just as we treat the disease which invades into the body cells with appropriate medication, the postpartum disease which intrudes into the mind should also be detected at the early stage and need to be treated with relevant psychological and drug therapies. By doing so, the intensity of the disease can be controlled and the negative impacts can also be reduced. Involving other members of the family in helping with the baby and sharing the responsibilities will make the new mother and even expectant mothers feel at ease and can considerably reduce their mental stress. Above all, each and every woman should love their children and must find utmost pleasure in bringing them instead of feeling stressed and depressed about it. References: Andrea Yates case. (2007). CNN U.S. Retrieved from: http://articles.cnn.com/2007-12-11/us/court.archive.yates8_1_russell-rusty-yates- kaylynn-williford-joe-owmby?_s=PM:US Greene, G and Heilbrun, K. (2010). Wrightsman's Psychology and the Legal System. Cengage Learning. Montaldo, C. (n. d). The Trail of Andrea Yates. About.com. Retrieved from: http://crime.about.com/od/current/a/yates_trial.htm Turnheim, C. (2002). Postpartum Depression: Case Study of Andrea Yates. Info board abnormal psychology. Retrieved from: http://www.psychohelp.at/h/college/abnormal/postpartum_depression.shtml Walsh, D. (2001). Texas mother drowns children: Andrea Yates and “Family Values”. World Socialist Web site. Retrieved from: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/jul2001/yate-j02.shtml Read More