The Lindsay Clancy Case: A Trauma Therapist’s Perspective on Why We Must Talk About Maternal Mental Health
Trigger Warning: This article discusses maternal filicide, death of children, and postpartum mental illness.
Most of you know the name Lindsay Clancy. In January 2023, news broke around the world about a mother in Massachusetts – a nurse, a wife, a mother of three – who is accused of killing her three young children.
I am not her clinician. I have never met her. This article is not a diagnosis of her, and is based only on publicly reported information.
I am writing about it because as a trauma and PTSD therapist, I know these tragedies, while rare, are almost always preceded by missed signs, silence, and a mother who did not get the level of help she needed in time.
This is not about a “good mother” vs “bad mother”. It’s about illness, isolation, and a system that fails mothers.
What was reported in this case is a pattern we see in research:
– A mother who reportedly loved her children deeply
– A history of significant anxiety and distress in the postpartum period
– Contact with health services that did not prevent the tragedy
– A defense centered on severe mental illness, including postpartum psychosis
Postpartum psychosis is rare – 1-2 in 1000 births – but it is a psychiatric emergency. It is not postpartum depression. It can involve delusional beliefs, paranoia, severe confusion, and a loss of reality.
If you are a mother, partner, or clinician – please read these points:
5 Signs You Need Help NOW – Don’t Wait
1. You are not sleeping even when the baby sleeps, and you feel wired, racing, or confused. Sleep deprivation is not just exhaustion. Prolonged lack of sleep can trigger psychosis.
2. You have scary thoughts that feel REAL and make sense to you. There is a huge difference between: “I have a horrible unwanted image of dropping my baby and it terrifies me” (common, treatable intrusive thought) vs. “I believe my children are in danger / better off in heaven / I am being told to harm them” (emergency – call 000 / go to ED).
3. You feel detached, not bonded, or like someone else is taking over. Dissociation, feeling like you’re watching yourself, feeling your baby is not yours, or hearing voices are red flags.
4. You are terrified to tell anyone how bad you feel because you think they will take your baby away. This fear is what stops mothers seeking help. Telling a GP, PANDA, or your midwife that you are struggling is protective parenting, not bad parenting.
5. Your partner/family notices you are not yourself. You seem paranoid, withdrawn, overly anxious, saying strange things, or not making sense. Trust them if they say you need help.
### What To Do Today
If you are the mother:
– You do not have to hold this alone to be a good mother. Good mothers ask for help.
– Call your GP today and say “I need a perinatal mental health assessment urgently.”
– Tell one safe person the truth about how bad it is.
– If you ever feel you might act on thoughts of harm, go to your nearest Emergency Department or call 000.
If you are a partner, family or friend:
– Don’t just ask “are you okay?” Ask: “How are you sleeping? What is happening in your mind that is scaring you? Do you feel safe alone with the baby?”
– Offer practical help – night shifts, appointments, cooking – not just advice.
– If you are worried about psychosis or safety, act. Call the GP, PANDA, or 000. It is better to overreact than underreact.
If you are a clinician:
– Screen every postpartum client directly for psychosis, intrusive harm thoughts, and dissociation.
– Never hold high perinatal risk in isolation. Liaise, document, safety plan, and consult.
– Create shame-free space for disclosure.
This tragedy reminds us that love for children does not protect against severe mental illness. Support, early intervention, and compassionate, direct care does.
My heart is with all children lost, and with all families living with the aftermath of perinatal mental illness.
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Need support in Australia?
PANDA (Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia) – 1300 726 306 – panda.org.au Lifeline – 13 11 14 Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 In an emergency – 000 NSW Mental Health Line – 1800 011 511
This blog is for educational purposes only and is based on publicly reported information about the Lindsay Clancy case. It does not provide diagnosis, legal opinion, or therapeutic advice. If you need support, please contact a health professional.
Written by Leila Fanni – Trauma and PTSD Specialist, Sydney.