Doctors and women who've had it call for more attention on postpartum psychosis
The high-profile trial of a mother accused of killing her children has sparked a national conversation about the need for better postpartum mental health care. Advocates are calling for increased research and public education to address the severe, yet treatable, nature of postpartum psychosis.
Why it matters
The case highlights critical gaps in the medical system's ability to identify and treat severe postpartum mental health disorders, which can have devastating consequences.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
The trial of a Boston-area mother charged with murdering her three small children in 2023 is leading to calls to improve postpartum mental health care. While the prosecution paints her as a deliberate killer, Lindsay Clancy's defense team argues she was in the grips of severe postpartum psychosis, and didn't receive proper medical care.
The unrelenting national attention on the Clancy trial has been difficult for people who've had postpartum psychosis, says Meghan Cliffel who experienced the disorder and is now a mental health advocate. She says many women believe that sheer luck prevented a similar disaster from happening to them.
For ongoing coverage of the Lindsay Clancy trial, visit WBUR .
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