Postpartum Psychosis on Trial in Texas
In the retrial of Andrea Yates, who suffered from undiagnosed and inappropriately treated postpartum psychosis (a rare but very dangerous condition) and who drowned her children in the family bathtub, this update from The Houston Chronicle:
A group of women's mental health advocates, doctors and professors joined Andrea Yates' attorneys Wednesday in challenging the qualifications of expert witnesses the prosecution is expected to use in Yates' upcoming retrial.
The 21 organizations and individuals, who jointly filed a motion in a Harris County court, argue that only experts fully familiar with postpartum psychosis should be allowed to testify on whether Yates knew that drowning her children was wrong.
Yates' attorneys are challenging the qualifications of the state's expert witnesses, including Dr. Michael Welner, a New York forensic psychiatrist who evaluated Yates during a two-day period last month at Rusk State Hospital.
A mistrial was declared in Yates' first trial when a journalist (of all people) discovered that an "expert" witness for the prosecution had knowingly given false testimony on the stand. His testimony had played a crucial role in the jury's decision to convict in the case. (In addition to this little snafu, more than one "expert" witness in the case - much like Andrea's long trail of unqualified psychiatrists and caregivers - had no particular expertise in perinatal mental health issues, no specialized knowledge in the rare condition of postpartum psychosis.)
There is no outcome that could possibly mean true "justice" in this particular case - not for Andrea, nor for her children, nor for her now ex-husband Rusty Yates. It's a heartbreaking story of the vast ineptitude of the medical community and the failure of families and communities at large to understand, recognize, and respond to serious mental illness in childbearing women. I highly recommend journalist Suzanne O'Malley's Edgar-nominated book on the Yates case, which provides a complete and grounded perspective on the nature of postpartum psychosis: Are You There Alone?: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea Yates. O'Malley is one of the few to cover this case and others like it with the understanding that pre-existing but undiagnosed, untreated bipolar disorder (manic-depression) had a direct connection to the Yates family tragedy.
The Houston Chronicle is covering this story most fully, since it is the hometown of the Yates family and the jurisdiction for the criminal case. To read today's complete story, click here.
If you are interested in honoring the memory of the Yates children, consider helping to prevent this tragedy for other children and families, by donating your money or time to the Yates Children Memorial Fund for Women's Mental Health, administered by the Houston Chapter of the National Mental Health Association (NMHA). It was created in 2002 to provide information and education about postpartum illness to women and their families, as well as to healthcare providers.