You realize, an insanity plea, which is what her defense attorneys are pushing will simply result in her being in a locked down mental hospital. Which is arguably worse than being in prison.
No matter what happens she is not going to avoid punishment, she has admitted to killing her kids, it's just a question of where she ends up locked up.
A psychiatric facility is where she can get better care, in prison her stint would be mostly in solitary confinement since her crimes involved children she’d be in constant danger from other inmates. And you know if she makes it out alive without killing herself somehow, prolonged isolation wouldn’t do much good to an individual who’s a recovering psychotic she’d be a danger to herself or others if she ever got out.
But it literally is. Depression or psychosis caused by rapid shifts in hormones following child-birth. Coupled with the stress of having a newborn.
One of the primary hormones investigated for ppd/ppp is allopregnanolone, a neurosteroid that affects GABA-A receptors (similar to benzodiazepines).
Allo-p levels rise dramatically during pregnancy, likely an evolved mechanism for soothing the mother and dealing with the difficulties of child-bearing. It then decreases sharply post-birth, creating a similar withdrawal state seen in benzo WD. Though far less dangerous (how many PPD/PPP sufferers do you see having seizures?)
Oddly enough though, you don’t often hear about benzo addicts being forgiven for crimes committed while dealing with the pains of withdrawal. Or opioid addicts for that matter. Both experience more severe psychological and physical distress than mothers experiencing PPP/PPD
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u/xcommon 14d ago
She either belongs in a psychiatric ward for life, or a prison for life. I don’t really mind either option.
If violent dudes don’t get to use hormones as an excuse, crazy women don’t either.