Running head: MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS SUMMARY PAPER 1

Mental Health and Mental Illness Summary Paper

Kimberli I. Johnson

Bon Secours Memorial College of Nursing

November 15, 2016

MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS SUMMARY PAPER 2

Mental Health and Mental Illness Summary Paper

On June 20, 2001, a mother of five, drowned all five of her children in the family bathtub.

Andrea Yates was diagnosed as having postpartum depression and psychosis after giving birth to

her fifth child, Mary Yates. Soon after that she fell into severe depression. She was sentenced to

life in prison after being found guilty of first degree murder. Andrea was admitted into several

hospitals when she was diagnosed with severe depression. She was on the psychotropic

medication Haldol, and was abruptly taken off, which some may say is the cause of her mental

break. In the end, Andrea was diagnosed with having postpartum psychosis.

Postpartum psychosis is a severe mental illness that can affect woman after she has a

baby. It causes her to hallucinate and have delusional thinking (symptoms of psychosis) (NHS

choices, 2015). Changes in the hormone are said to play a role, there seems to be a genetic link if

there is a 1st relative that has the same illness. Women who are diagnosed with this disorder are

prescribed an antidepressant, which balances mood-altering chemicals in the brain, an

antipsychotic, which blocks the effect of dopamine, and a mood stabilizing drug. In 1999 and

before the murder of her children, Yates had an episode of postpartum depression and psychosis,

in which she was admitted to Devereux-Texas Treatment Network. Per NHS, about half of

women who have postpartum psychosis will go on to have another episode in the future and that

is exactly what Andrea Yates experienced. Some women may need to seek treatment by being

admitted to the hospital for treatment and having their baby is allowed so that they can continue

the bonding experience. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is well tolerated and rapidly effective

for severe postpartum depression and psychosis (MGH, 2015). This is a procedure, done under

general anesthesia, in which small electric currents are passed through the brain, intentionally
MENTAL HEALTH AND MENTAL ILLNESS SUMMARY PAPER 3

triggering a brief seizure. It is said that it can quickly reverse symptoms of certain mental

illnesses.

Healthy People 2020 aims to reach four overarching goals such as attain high-quality,

longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death, achieve health

equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups (CDC, 2016) to name a few.

Postpartum Health and Behavior is one of their topics in which they want to reach goals for. This

includes (developmental) decrease the proportion of women giving birth who attend a

postpartum care visit with a health worker. They are also including goals to decrease the

proportion of women delivering a live birth who experience postpartum depressive symptoms.

Healthy People 2020 has a lot of goals they want to reach, but they fail to have any treatment

options or clinical recommendations for women going through postpartum psychosis or

depression. I expected to see more information on this topic since it very prevalent in the United

States. About 70% of mothers experience mild symptoms such as crying and irritability

(MHG, 2015).

Unlike Healthy People 2020, the World Health Organizations provides a variety ways of

helping individuals with mental health disorders such as accessing educational programmes

which fit their needs, and in finding employment and housing which enable them to-live and be

active in their local community (WHO, 2016). Although they have so many support options for

people living with mental health disorders, like Health People 2020, they didnt have any

information on Postpartum Psychosis. I expected more information on this topic. Again, since it

is prevalent with more and more women being affected by it, I would hope that there would be

more information on treatment options. Although WHO didnt have much information about

postpartum psychosis, they did have information on postpartum. Ways to get treatment and what
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families can do to prepare for postpartum depression such as updating the knowledge and skills

of a range of providers, offering integrated services in facilities and communities (WHO, 2016).

When I first heard this story at the age of 13, I never knew how much of impact this story

would have on me. I started this semester not knowing what to expect exactly. I think I had the

same perception or stereotype like some of my classmates did. I didnt know if I would enjoy

this class or hate it, but I can honestly say that Ive learned so much about the human mind

through all the patient that we met on daily basis. I feel they gave me an understanding of what

mental health is and how much of an impact it has on not only the patient, but also the family

members. Having a mental disability does not define the person, the characteristic of that

individual does. Andrea Yates was not the first person to experience postpartum psychosis and

she will not be the last, but her story has possibly helped many women and families to

understand what they are possibly going through and to seek immediate help. Postpartum

psychosis is a medical emergency and the individual may need to be admitted to get further

assistance. I constantly live by the quote Your job is not to judge. Your job is not to figure out if

someone deserves something. Your job is to lift the fallen, to restore the broken, and to heal the

hurting. I believe this to be true with the mental health population. Its hard to not make

perceptions, but in the end, they are human and they need to be helped and healed.
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References

Andrea Yates. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from

http://www.biography.com/people/andrea-yates-235801

Maternal, Infant, and Child Health. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2016, from

https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/maternal-infant-and-child-

health/objectives

Mental disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2016, from

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs396/en/

Postpartum (after childbirth) psychosis - NHS Choices. (n.d.). Retrieved November 15, 2016,

from http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/postpartum-psychosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx

Postpartum Psychiatric Disorders. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2016, from

https://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/postpartum-psychiatric-

disorders/?doing_wp_cron=1479159306.7857069969177246093750

Postpartum Psychosis and the Courts. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2016, from

http://jaapl.org/content/40/3/318.full