The trial of Lindsay Clancy has centered on postpartum psychosis, the mental disorder she claims led her to kill her three young children.
A local expert says it’s very rare and involves a break from reality.
Only about 1-2 out of 1,000 women have postpartum psychosis.
Dr. Kate Johnson, chair of psychiatry at Loyola Medical Center, says severe depression can develop after women have gone through pregnancy and birth.
“They will scavenge things from their own bodies. They will take calcium out of their own bones to make sure the baby has what they need. That definitely can cause problems for the mom in a physiologic kind of way after the delivery” she told WBBM.
Mental health diagnoses before pregnancy are a big risk indicator - and prompt doctors to watch more closely for what happens after.
Dr. Johnson hopes Clancy’s trial shines a light on this problem while the country is generally behind in diagnosing and treating other mental illnesses.
