Chills
consume the vertebrates of my spin while I continue to research the
unfortunately well known story of Andrea Yates. She was a mother of
five children, a stellar student, a valedictorian and a nurse.
However, today she is known as being a murderer of her five children.
“In 1993, she married Rusty Yates, who was a disciple of preacher
Michael Peter Woroniecki.” (A&E Television, 2010) Six years
after she was married, she “was treated for postpartum depression
and psychosis, illnesses that ran in her family.” (A&E
Television, 2010) Andrea went into severe depression following the
birth of her fifth child and the death of her father. Her depression
was so severe she was admitted unwillingly into a hospital known as
The Devereux-Texas Treatment Network. Her doctor, Dr. Mohammed Saeed
who prescribed her the series of psychotropic drug treatments, also
“abruptly tapered off the antipsychotic Haldol, a medication that
helped Andrea recover in 1999.” (A&E Television, 2010)
In
1986 Andrea Yates, graduated from the University of Texas School of
Nursing. From 1986 to 1994 she worked as a registered nurse at the
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In 2001, within an
hours time of her husband leaving her and her mother-in-law on the
way to visit her, Andrea Yates drowned all five of her children in
the bathtub. Five years later, “On July 26, 2006, Yates was found
not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to North Texas
State Hospital.” (A&E Television, 2010) During the same year
prior to her murders, Andrea Yates “had a history of psychiatric
hospitalizations and two suicide attempts, was later diagnosed with
postpartum depression with psychotic features and schizophrenia.”
(RUIZ. R., 2006) According to the The National Institute of Mental
Health, Postpartum depression is defined as:
Biological
changes in mothers that occur after childbirth are
often
accompanied by significant changes in family roles and
responsibilities as well. Generally, postpartum depression (PPD)
is thought to be associated with the drastic changes in hormone
levels
that occur during and just after pregnancy. (Insel, MD., 2010)
Although
a general definition above, the type of depression Andrea Yates had
was more intensified as it was accompanied with psychotic features
and schizophrenia.
This type of depression “occurs when a severe depressive illness is
accompanied by some form of psychosis, such as a break with reality,
hallucinations, and delusions.” (Insel, MD., 2010) Andrea Yates
believed she was the devil. “she lived for months with confused
thoughts not only about right and wrong but also about good and
evil--because she believed she was the devil.” (Roche, 2002) While
Andrea Yates was being arrested she said “I was so stupid. Could I
have killed just one to fulfill the prophecy? Could I have offered
Mary [her youngest]?"(Roche, 2002)
Until Next Time,
Much Love,
Nikki
