This case is active and unresolved as of July 2026 and the contents of this article shouldn’t be read as a comment on guilt or innocence.
Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts mother of three at the time of the incident, is accused of murdering her three children. This happened in January 2023 while her husband, Patrick Clancy, was away running errands. She pleaded not guilty to the alleged murder charges. Her trial begins this week, with jury selection currently underway.
Her defense lawyer has argued that the killing of the three children was because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. Prosecutors contest that the killing was a premeditated one.
While this case pends litigation, it’s a time to talk about maternal mental health and postpartum psychosis and the dangers of not properly managing it.
What Postpartum Psychosis Actually Is
Postpartum psychosis is a mental health problem that affects women after childbirth. Not every woman experiences this, but about 0.089 to 2.6 cases occur per 1000 births. It is a rare but dangerous maternal mental health condition, characterized by hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and other behavioral changes. It begins within the first two to six weeks after birth, with the episode lasting from weeks to months if left unattended. It is a treatable condition with better chance of improvement if discovered early.
The longer postpartum psychosis is left untreated, the more severe it becomes. The exact cause is not known, but it is suspected to occur due to a combination of factors. Some of these include hormone changes, history of mental illness, and number of pregnancies.
Postpartum psychosis is treated after clinical evaluation through means such as medications or electroconvulsive therapy. There is no way to prevent this condition, but there are ways to manage and keep it in check. The rate of recurrence for an individual who has previously suffered from postpartum psychosis is about 29% and 17% for women with bipolar disorder.
Postpartum psychosis is different from postpartum depression.
What Has Been Reported About The Care Gaps
Postpartum psychosis is a medical illness that most people around the world aren’t familiar with. Most times, clinicians often miss the signs and treat people for other conditions instead. A similar scenario can be seen in Lindsay Clancy’s case. After the birth of her third child, she visited the mental health hospital, where she was treated for four months for prolonged insomnia and depression.
The report from the court filings described Lindsay Clancy as a mother placed on heavy medications weeks before the tragedy occurred. Her defense counsel argued in her defense that the dosage given to her was excessive and poorly maintained. Even her husband reportedly described her “like a zombie” in court because she experienced a lot of insomnia. The sad reality of this maternal health condition is that it doesn’t always announce itself like psychosis. It has a sudden onset and can look like a mother who is present but not there. A mother emotionally detached from her child, a woman experiencing flatness or sedation.
Most times family members or relations close to the mother notice the signs before a clinician. But it only helps if they know what is happening and only if the system takes their concern seriously.
The Screening Gap in Postpartum Psychosis through the Global Lens
The rate at which postpartum psychosis should be talked about isn’t talked about. Even in countries with well-established health care, postpartum health issues aren’t widely spoken about. More than 16000 women in the UK are unable to access perinatal mental health care in a year. The Maternal Mental Health Alliance in the UK noted that the leading cause of death among mothers in the six weeks to a year after birth is maternal suicide. Not hemorrhage, not infection, but not suicide.
In Nigeria, about 85% of 3,000 women attending maternal health care with perinatal depression were not diagnosed. They simply weren’t screened for it during their visit. About 14-30% of women have postpartum depression in Nigeria, still mental health screening among mothers isn’t a standard screening procedure.
Given the severity of the condition, this shouldn’t be so.
Maternal Mental Health PostPartum Psychosis Advocacy
Postpartum psychosis is an emergency mental health condition that comes with various signs like the thought of hurting someone, loss of affection for the baby, and thoughts of harming the baby. If you experience any of these thoughts, it’s a medical emergency that requires immediate psychiatric care. One of the most standard treatments for postpartum psychosis is routine screening. This can be practiced through the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A partnership with a psychiatrist can also help.
The word “advocacy” does not have weight if it’s not practiced. Postpartum mental health screening has to become a normal screening routine in maternal care and not only offered to women suffering visible emotional distress.
Partners and family members need to be aware of the signs of postpartum psychosis since they are the closest to the woman. They often notice the signs before a clinician does. They can only provide the first help if they are aware of the signs.
When a mother says, “I feel something is wrong,” she shouldn’t be asked to wait it out. She shouldn’t be told, “Give it time.” Clancy’s family stated that she raised a concern about her mental health before the tragedy occurred. A mother’s concerns about her health should not be dismissed as drama. It should be given the utmost attention, not a wait-and-see one.
Whatever the outcome of the trial is, the conversation around postpartum psychosis needs to be louder. It is a rare condition, but it doesn’t mean that understanding of this condition should also be rare.
If you are a new or expecting mother in the US with suicidal thoughts, you can make use of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can reach them either by call or text, any day and at any time.
If you live an other country, it’s important to check for your local crisis line before you need it and not after.
Senior Editor. Uzoamaka brings her award-winning operational calm to Women Digest Daily. She curates content on wellness and relationships, believing every woman can achieve excellence with the right mindset.