The tragic killing of three children in Duxbury, Massachusetts, allegedly at the hands of their mother in 2023 started a conversation about the importance - and the struggles many women experience - surrounding postpartum mental health.
In an interview with the New Yorker, Patrick Clancy, the father of those children, detailed the symptoms his wife was experiencing that should have been red flags -- something mental health experts say can be overlooked.
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Dr. Michelle DiBlasi, chief of inpatient psychiatry at Tufts Medical Center, explained why postpartum depression can often go unnoticed, what symptoms to watch out for and what to do if you or someone you know is experiencing them during an interview with NBC10 Boston Tuesday.
“A lot of these women maybe have never had any sort of psychiatric issues before and so now they're kind of embarrassed or ashamed to reach out,” DiBlasi, who did not treat Lindsay, said. “And the other thing is providers may also be missing the diagnosis.”
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Patrick Clancy found his wife Lindsay Clancy semi-conscious from a suicide attempt and his three children strangled in the basement in January of 2023. Their children -- 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan -- did not survive. Patrick has since sold his Duxbury home and moved to Manhattan.
One in seven women will experience postpartum depression, according to DiBlasi, but Lindsay was diagnosed with anxiety, according to her husband. She was hearing voices, had trouble sleeping and thoughts of suicide, according to The New Yorker. She tried to get help, taking more than a dozen medications over the course of four months.
“Going periods of time without sleep can, you know, exacerbate psychotic episodes, can worsen depression,” DiBlasi said. “My number one thing for most of my patients is to make sure that they're getting a good restorative night's sleep.”
When Patrick asked Lindsay if she planned it, she told him in the snap of a finger, a voice commanded her to kill the children, then herself, because it was her last chance, according to the magazine.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
“I think when people start hearing voices, or what we call auditory hallucinations, that is very concerning,” DiBlasi said. “I mean, usually it's one indicator of somebody experiencing a psychotic episode of some kind.”
Despite her suicidal thoughts, Patrick said, “we were told by doctors, ‘If she doesn’t have a plan, and if she’s disturbed by the thoughts, then they are probably just thoughts.’”
Patrick told the magazine, “if I could go back in time, I’d have called McLean (hospital) and said, ‘take her away, lock the door. Keep her in there for a year if you have to.’”
Lindsay remains at Tewksbury Hospital until Nov. 10 for court-ordered mental health treatment. Depending on her condition, her stay could be extended. Her lawyer did not respond to NBC10 Boston's requests for comment.
“The key is for people to reach out for help and for their family members or friends,” DiBlasi said. “If they're noticing something that just isn't quite right, to encourage them to reach out for help.”
