Andrea Yates: a Mother Lost in a Disease

Andrea Yates

A Mother Lost Inside a Disease

Brenda Grose

Abnormal Psychology

Dr. William Ross

April 15, 2012

Andrea Yates: A Mother lost inside a Disease

Andrea Yates is a mother who methodically placed her five children one by one into a bathtub full of water and drowned them. She then called police and informed the arriving officer, “I killed my kids”. (McClellan,F., 2006) Andrea was tried for the murders by a legal system that relies on a case 160 years old to determine insanity. (Spinelli, M., 2005) In the 21st century the basis used for determining insanity is as weak as the medical community and the insurance companies that failed to recognize the mental illness in Andrea Yates. Her story is one of “misdiagnosis, poor treatment, wrong medications, and the role of a health insurance company rather than a clinician as the key decision maker” (Spinelli, M., 2005) in the care of Andrea Yates.

Andrea Yates is described by her family as a pleaser, her mother said, “She was always trying to be such a good girl.”(Thomas, Gesalman, Smith, Pierce, Peraino, Murr, 2001). She held honors in high school and was the most compassionate of all of Jutta Kennedy’s children.(Thomas, & etal.,2006) Her mental illness did not begin to reveal itself until after the birth of her first child, an early indicator of postnatal disorder. Although Andrea’s symptoms which included hallucinations were not resolved, she was discharged with antidepressants because the insurance company would not authorize a longer stay. As births continued one nearly every 18 months against doctor advice, so began the many hospital stays and doctor visits and varying prescriptions including Wellbutrin, Effexor and Haldoral (McClellan, F., 2006). Andrea juggled the responsibility of the growing family of children. Household chores, home schooling, diapers, bottles and babies consumed her day with no time for herself. She also managed to squeeze in daily visits to her Alzheimer’s stricken...