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At a Glance:

• Lindsay Clancy’s case has drawn worldwide attention, with intense debate over her responsibility and her defense’s claim that she suffered from postpartum psychosis.
• Thousands of people have rallied behind Clancy, organizing demonstrations, fundraisers and other shows of support.
• Postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis are very different conditions. Psychosis is rare but is a medical emergency that can involve delusions, hallucinations, paranoia and a break from reality.
• Experts say the case highlights major gaps in maternal mental health care, including limited continuity of care, shortages of specialists and inadequate support for mothers and families.

Psst… Check out How to Find the Right OB-GYN or Midwife for You

Lindsay Clancy is a Massachusetts mother who took the lives of her three small children. Her defense team has asserted that postpartum psychosis is to blame. Her trial, currently airing to the public in real time via live cameras in the courtroom, has garnered attention on a global scale. From armchair detectives to prominent journalists, everyone seems to have an opinion about Lindsay Clancy. 

Some people think she is a monster, which is understandable. It’s extremely difficult to imagine how anyone could hurt their children, no matter the circumstances.

Some people think she didn’t do it at all, which is debatable. Lindsay, herself, admitted to the slayings and pleaded not guilty due to mental illness.

Many people wholeheartedly support her, which is shocking. Or is it?

Support for Lindsay Clancy has grown far beyond social media, with people organizing rallies, fundraisers and demonstrations centered around her case and the broader issue of postpartum mental illness. Last week, hundreds of supporters, many dressed in pink and wearing shirts or signs reading “Believe,” “She Needed Help” and “Peace For Lindsay,” gathered outside the courthouse, where they stood silently, held hands, prayed and applauded her attorney and parents. Supporters have also traveled from other states to attend the trial, while similar gatherings have been organized in several states and overseas. Online, thousands have followed and discussed the trial, and one TikTok creator launched a fundraiser for the Clancy family that surpassed $1 million in donations.

To understand how anyone can support a self-proclaimed child murderer, you’ll have to step into the shoes of a mother who has struggled with her own mental health. With postpartum depression afflicting 1 in 7 mothers here in the United States, you wouldn’t have to go far to find one.

Postpartum depression is a feeling unlike any other. It’s an absolute living nightmare. You want nothing more than to just be the loving and amazing mother you know you can be to your children, but you’re constantly overwhelmed by negative feelings getting in the way. You feel trapped in a shell of your old self, a prisoner of your own mind, which is a persistent mashup of anxiety and a deep, aching loneliness. You know your children deserve the best of you, but you can barely hold it together from one day to the next. After a while you start to lose sight of everything that matters, to a desperate point where you’ll do anything to just feel normal, to be okay again. I speak from a place of experience. 

Seeking help for postpartum depression is tricky. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a support system – a caring partner, a loving family, concerned friends. If you are also fortunate enough to have good medical insurance, you’ll have access to doctors, therapy and medication. But these are all big “ifs.” 

Lindsay Clancy seemed to have most, if not all, of the above, and still it led to tragedy. If that doesn’t point to a need for systemic change, I don’t know what will. 

Despite your own personal feelings on Lindsay Clancy, one thing is for certain: the need for better maternal mental health care in this country has reached a critical level. The fact that millions of women can empathize with a mother on trial for killing her own children, standing firm in their support because they can actually see themselves in her,  strongly suggests that we are in a crisis.

Although undeniably tragic, this case is shining a much-needed light on the complicated and often misunderstood topic of postpartum mental illness.

I spoke with Dr. Sonal Patel, Pediatrician, 4th Trimester Expert, and Founder and CEO of Naya, a 4th trimester-specific LLM built by clinical experts to replace broad AI searches, to learn more about postpartum mental health issues, what causes them, and why so many women support Lindsay Clancy. 

A Hormonal Cliff-Dive

Dr. Patel first explained the science behind postpartum depression, indicating how the overflow of hormonal changes in a woman’s body after giving birth is a major shock to the system. 

“It is important to recognize scientifically how birth sets mothers up for a profound endocrine cliff dive and predisposition for mental health disorders,” she said. “From a biological and neuroscientific standpoint, the postpartum period represents one of the most drastic almost shock-like endocrine and neurochemical shifts the human body can undergo to ensure the pregnant body can now become the breastfeeding body.

“Now, add other factors such as genetic susceptibility, extreme sleep disruption, lack of universal paid family leave, societal pressures to bounce back, areas of maternal deserts (ie lack of maternity care), a healthcare system that has only one universal visit after delivery (the 6 week check up) of which 40% of women do not attend, numbers such as 1 in 7 woman experiences postpartum depression become common.”

Postpartum Depression Vs. Postpartum Psychosis

There is a major difference between postpartum depression (PPD) and postpartum psychosis (PPP). According to many medical experts involved in her case, Lindsay appeared to be suffering from postpartum psychosis, a condition that affects 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 births. 

According to Dr. Patel, PPD is a common mood disorder driven by massive hormonal shifts and compounded by societal pressures of quickly bouncing back without fundamental safety net resources, whereas PPP is a more serious condition.

“PPP is a rare medical emergency,” she says. “It involves a complete break from reality with traits of delusions, hallucinations, severe paranoia, rapid mood cycling, and extreme confusion. The mother’s brain is misinterpreting reality and without any insight to her condition. “

In the initial stages of PPP, a mother can appear fine, which is known as the “mask of wellness.” 

“In early PPP, symptoms can wax and wane between functional and delusional with enough insight to appear ‘normal,’” Dr. Patel explains. ”Distinguishing signs that separate PPP from severe depression or anxiety include rapidly shifting moods stages from mania to deep despair to severe, persistent insomnia without feeling tired, or loss of reality (i.e. believing her baby is possessed), to sudden irrational behaviors that are entirely out of character.”

Getting Help

Seeking help for postpartum issues often feels like a no-win situation, if a woman is brave enough to ask for help in the first place. 

“Motherhood carries an immense societal narrative that a new mother should feel instantly blessed, joyful, grateful, and entirely self-sacrificing or never put together,” Dr. Patel says. “This toxic dichotomy creates a profound sense of shame for women who experience terrifying thoughts, grief for their former lives, clinical depression or even the guilt of enjoying motherhood. Mothers frequently hide their suffering and joy because they fear being judged.”

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Lindsay Clancy case is how badly she was trying to get help. She called a suicide hotline, checked into a treatment center, and spoke to her doctor almost daily in the days leading up to the incident. She was prescribed over a dozen different medications. 

“The tragedy of the Lindsay Clancy case highlights a critical flaw in the healthcare system in which we make the patient seek and navigate their own care,” says Dr. Patel. “If we scientifically recognize that birth creates a shock-like hormonal cliff fall, then we need to have our medical system meet the trauma patient and place the onus on the system for care, not the individual.”

It’s obvious there are major gaps in postpartum mental health care right now. 

“The biggest gaps include lack of continuity of care between discharge from the hospital and the six-week mark, shortage of specialized perinatal psychiatrists and accessible inpatient mother-baby units (where mothers can receive treatment without being separated from their infants), insufficient partner and family education on recognizing subtle signs of psychosis versus depression, and societal pressure encouraging women to simply ‘push through’ and sacrifice their well-being,” says Dr. Patel.

“This is why we are chipping away at changing the system, not the mother,” she continues. “Until we truly honor the science behind the intense, complex nature of childbirth, we won’t build the systems women actually need: systems that surround a mother with proactive care, rather than leaving her to navigate her own healing while keeping a newborn alive.”

Family Support

If you spend any time on social media, you have likely come across speculation surrounding Lindsay’s ex-husband, Patrick Clancy, and what part – if any – he played in the deaths of his children. Whether he is directly responsible is merely conjecture at this point, but an argument could be made for the role he played indirectly. After all, partner support is absolutely crucial to overcoming postpartum struggles.  

“Family members are often the first line of defense and their primary role should be the mom’s advocate, her voice, and even taking over her and her infant/childrens’ care,” says Dr. Patel. “They should try to ensure sleep by taking task off the mother’s plate to and take over the help the mom needs to navigating appointments and being the moms’ voice to advocate aggressively by calling a perinatal mental health hotline, taking her to the emergency room, or reaching out directly to her OB-GYN or psychiatric team. Above all, safety is non-negotiable: never, under any circumstances, leave a mother who seems out of touch with reality alone with her baby/children.”

Lindsay Clancy’s trial is ongoing and expected to wrap up soon. Regardless of the outcome, the case has started a very important conversation about maternal mental health. The outpouring of love and support for Lindsay is proof that women who are struggling are not alone.

“Postpartum mental health challenges are treatable medical conditions,” Dr. Patel concludes. “They are not a character flaw, a sign of weakness, or a reflection of your love for your baby. They can happen to anyone. Recovery demands protected sleep, skilled medical support, an active community, and complete compassion. You never have to suffer in silence to prove you’re a devoted mother.”

Psst… Check out The Baby Blues, Stress or More? (expert tips on coping mechanisms and when therapy may be the next step)

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