Author: Marcela Almeida, MD
As the world closely watched the trial to determine whether Lindsay Clancy was criminally responsible for the deaths of her 3 young children end in a mistrial, there is another important question to reckon with: is the maternal mental health system in the US adequately equipped to recognize and treat psychiatric emergencies before they become catastrophes?
Clancy’s name joined a growing list of high-profile cases drawing intense public attention to the heartbreaking thread of mothers facing criminal charges following acts of infanticide or child murder. What makes hers stand out is the fact that she was a labor and delivery nurse at a world-renowned medical center home to groundbreaking advances in perinatal psychiatry. Resourceful, medically literate, and psychologically attuned, on paper, she seemed to have every advantage: access to care, parental leave, a supportive family—perks not shared by many US residents. Yet her care was siloed across locales and specialties, a far-from-ideal model for psychiatric treatment in general, but particularly dangerous in acute perinatal crises.