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SPOKANE, Wash. — Last Tuesday, Patrick Clancy called 911 after his wife attempted to commit suicide.
When paramedics arrived, they found Patrick and his wife Lindsay's three young kids unconscious. Two of them died that day and their 8-month-old son died days later.
The death of the three children has people talking about postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
Kylie Chaffin, a licensed mental health counselor with Perinatal Mental Health, says it's important to know the difference between postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis.
Chaffin says one in four people can experience postpartum depression. Postpartum psychosis can occur in 0.1-0.2 percent of women who have children. Of that small group, only four percent commit infanticide, which is the killing of their own children.
Chaffin is certified in this specific realm. She explains that women dealing with psychosis often have hallucinations or delusions.
"They'll have hallucinations where the baby's face isn't their baby anymore," Chaffin said. "They'll be like this isn't my baby. Someone has taken my baby or the baby's face turns into the face of their mother or someone else they know."
Chaffin says it's extremely treatable.
"There does seem to be a link with psychosis and lack of sleep backed up by research," Chaffin said.
Any mom knows sleep is one of the hardest things to come by. Chaffin can't stress enough the importance of relying on help from or other resources for help if you need it.
"I just want to normalize the fact that there are so many people who have really scary thoughts about their babies," Chaffin said. "The biggest thing is talking about it with someone else. There are resources to get help."
Patrick Clancy is asking the public to forgive his wife Lindsay, as he has. His wife is in a hospital facing murder and assault charges and will be arraigned when she's physically able to.
For moms who might be struggling, below are some resources that can help.
This link has a link you can call if you need immediate support.
Here is the Washington postpartum support page. It has resources for parents, a number they can call for help, support groups and a mental health directory. They also provide support in Spanish and English. This is a great resource for parents.
Click here to check a list of more local providers.
Originally from Spokane, Emily has lived all over the U.S. and couldn’t be happier to be back home, telling stories for the community she was raised in. The Pacific Northwest is where her heart feels most happy; being in nature close to water, and most importantly, close to family. Emily spent most of her teenage years and early twenties in Phoenix, Arizona. That time was broken up by one year spent in Honolulu, where she attended Hawaii Pacific University on a dance scholarship, her freshmen year. After that, she returned to Phoenix to attend Arizona State University. She is a Magna cum Laude graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State and worked all through college at KTVK/KPHO in Phoenix as a video editor. During her 3 1/2 years at the station, she gained a tribe of mentors (many who have worked at KXLY in the past!) and often spent her days-off shadowing reporters, meteorologists and anchors. Emily hasn’t stopped investing in her education, continuing her studies at Mississippi State University to get her Certificate in Broadcast and Operational Meteorology. Her on-air career began in the Midwest with two stints in Madison, Wisconsin and Davenport, Iowa. She’s worn every hat in the newsroom: weather, reporting and anchoring and is excited to contribute in all these ways at KXLY. Variety is the spice of life! Emily has traveled the globe and says she feels most alive while visiting foreign countries. She’s an adventurous soul… backpacking, sky-diving, bungee jumping, she’s done it all. She loves getting out doors and being active, year-round! When she’s not studying or exploring the outdoors, you’ll find her in the kitchen whipping up the world’s best chocolate chip cookies… ever. She’s excited to get involved with the community and to find ways to make positive impacts on the lives of those living in Eastern Washington & Idaho. If you have an idea or passion project you think Emily could get involved in, connect with her by email, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
