Two
years prior to her drowning her children in the bathtub, Ms. Yates “
attempted suicide twice, first swallowing about 50 sleeping pills and
then holding a knife to her throat, according to testimony at her
retrial for the 2001 bathtub drownings of her children.” (BROWN,
2006) Andrea Yates knew she was suffering from postpartum depression
to what degree she was suffering, we find in the history of her
story. Andrea Yates was diagnosed with postpartum depression
psychotic features and schizophrenia. This rare form of postpartum
depression is more likely to occur in women who have bipolar
disorder, schizophrenia or if a family member has experienced these
diseases.
Andrea
Yates had a family history of bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.
As part of her schizophrenia illness,
she would use catchwords from the bible to express her mental
darkness. “...the
images and catchwords of the Bible became ways for Andrea to express
her mental darkness.” (Roche,
2002) She believed she was the devil. While reading the bible and
interpreting what a mother's obligation is to her child, Andrea Yates
believed “ it's a mother's obligation to raise her children or face
the consequences, and about the death penalty being the only way to
get rid of demons inside.”(Roche, 2002) She believed she failed her
children, and thought they were supposed to be able to say their
ABC's by the age of two...which they had not been able.
Later as she was talking with the jail psychiatrist Andrea Yates was
quoted saying “the kids were destined to perish in the fires of
hell." (Roche, 2002) In 1999, Andrea was prescribed Zoloft for
depression. However, she didn't want to take it because she still
wanted to breastfeed her youngest child. In the same year again, she
was “discharged and another psychiatrist switched her to Zyprexa,
an antipsychotic drug for bipolar disorders and schizophrenia.”
(BROWN,
2006) She
refused to take these pills and then flushed them down the toilet.
She also told her psychiatrist she was hearing voices and seeing
visions of her using a knife. “At
least half of the people who experience a major depressive episode
will later have a recurrence of major depression.” (Sarason, 2005,
-. 341) She was under her doctor's care, however, according to
research, Mrs. Yates deliberately refused to follow his orders as
seen in the above findings.
Page 3 - Brief Discussion of Her Court Case / Discussion
Page 4 - Whether or Not I Agree or Disagree With The Courts' Decision
Page 4 - Whether or Not I Agree or Disagree With The Courts' Decision
