Andrea Yates to guest-star on a new episode?

that's what what i heard, i don't know if it's true

On Sat, 16 Mar 2002 03:59:44 GMT, Allen Kyda wrote: hey yea, thats how they could do the last episode. she kills everybody and goes to jail and marries sideshow bob. thats what I heard, dont know if its true.

lol

"flem man" wrote in message news:[email]...

Please read this before judging Andrea Yates

I'm sharing an experience that I had when a very dear friend of mine was suffering from post partum psychoses several years ago. Though it is a painful story, take heart. In comparison with the events that took place in Texas in June, this story has an incredibly happy ending for all concerned. The ruling in Texas of Andrea Pia Yates, the mom who was convicted and sentenced to 40 years was incredibly heartbreaking for me, and because of it, I feel compelled to share the experience myself and others had with a good friend of ours so many years ago.

On reading it, while you may already be aware and share the same beliefs I have, you will see why for me it is important that people be educated on 1) the dangers a woman who has recently given birth is vulnerable to, and 2) the importance of keeping an eye out for our friends and loved ones when they have recently given birth.

This is an event that, well that most people will never hear of in their lifetime. Not necessarily because it wouldn't have happened to people that they knew or even people they consider themselves emotionally very close to. But most people wouldn't hear about it because it involves events that are so frightening, and so outside of what we know or understand, that I cannot imagine anyone ever daring to voluntarily share them with another living person.

And yet we need to hear these stories, because they alert us and encourage us as a society to Bless and take care of our moms.

Twelve years ago my dear friend (I will call her Rhonda) went through what we learned later was post-partum psychoses which in her case was a very gradual process that led her to be, unbeknownst to others, quite delusional and paranoid with grave consequences. I knew something wasn't quite right with her about a month after the birth of her second child. But I had no idea what was really going on. Paranoia had set in quite solidly (unbeknownst to me), and she kept things from me and others that would have indicated that she and those closest to her were in grave danger.

At first it seemed like she must be suffering from extreme anxiety. Rhonda had up to this point never experienced any mental health problems of any kind. Yet now she would not sleep, would not eat and obsessively repeated her rosary. Martha (another good friend) and I were able to gently convince Rhonda to see a family doctor. Afterward she seemed really calm and happy and relayed to us that he just told her that she needed to lighten up. I felt so relieved.

However, she didn't tell him, nor us everything. Like the fact that she felt she had to remain vigilantly one step ahead of a sinister neighbour whom she believed to be plotting to put undetectable bombs in her children's toys (1 month old girl and 3 year old boy), plant cocaine or some other substance (the strongest stuff they ever had in their household was gingerale!) to frame them, and murder not only her whole family, but also myself and Rhonda (due to some coincidental chance meeting with this neighbour). But even more bizarre than that was that she felt that it would be best for her to be the one to protect us from the horror of the neighbour's plans by killing us herself. And she expected that it would sound as logical to us as it seemed to her then. Once this came out there was no question. She was in danger. But we had to carry on as if these ideas did not alarm us in the least. For if she sensed for a second that we were in alarm or consulting one another and her mother, we could tell she would have shut down and not shared any of her thoughts with us.

So very nonchalantly (though I know she was sweating bullets) Martha was able to convince Rhonda that yes she appeared to be a bit stressed out and wouldn't it be a good idea to just pop in and see the local therapist to just get some tips from him on how to relax and so on.

What we really wanted was for her to relax enough with him to tell him to reveal what she had said to us and hoping he'd be able to take charge.

To make a long story with a few twists and turns in it to boot, short, we had to break confidentiality and tell the therapist what was really up. She was accompanied to the hospital by her father and Rhonda. We knew it had to be done, but we felt traumatized. Lord knows how frightened she must have felt. We knew she was out of touch with reality and had no idea if she would ever come back from the hospital again. We rallied around for support that morning. And for the fist time in 14 years Rhonda's mother sobbed and sobbed. When I checked in with her husband that night, bless his understandably in-denial little heart he advised that he was sure she did not want any visitors that night so he wouldn't be going to the hospital. Because I wanted to be sure I phoned her at the hospital. She whispered to me in very low tones "Sue, if what I said to you is true, they've got me where they want me". Right then and there I knew she needed me. I contacted her brother and we both headed to the hospital. Hoping to comfort this woman whom we both loved so much.

If you met this woman today � a gentle, loving teacher of grade schoolers, and loving mother of two beautiful children, you would never believe anyone who tried to tell you that she had been so far from reality once that in her love for her children and friends, she almost took the same actions Andrea P Y had taken. If only someone in her life had known a tiny little bit about post-partum psychoses maybe they would have seen some warning signs and been able to prevent the tragedy that befell Andrea's young ones. Maybe a friend would have picked up on something.

I wanted to tell you this story. Because I'm thinking that the more people that know about how vulnerable new moms are to this often fatal condition, the more of us there will be looking out for the new moms in the world. Keeping an eye out for them and speaking up where we might have hesitated to before if something they say or do seems somewhat strange.

Blessings from a friend.

"TJ" wrote in message news:...

But you fail to take into account that Andrea Yates may not have actually been suffering from post partum psychoses. Assuming this was raised as a defense, apparently the jury didn't feel, at least beyond a reasonable doubt, that post partum psychoses caused her actions.

And even if it did, is it your opinion that she should not be punished in any way? I appreciate your appeal for people to learn about this so they recognize the symptons so they can help stop such things from happening...but to say her sentencing was heartbreaking is a bit beyond my belief.

Kevin

Drunk and full of pie, SB wrote:

<snip>

Don't have to. It's an attempt to shift blame, in any case. That such a crime should be blameless is despicable. Let the courts do their job.

And it did it's job splendidly. Too bad OJ didn't live in Texas ...

------------------------------------
Knowledge is power
Power corrupts
Study hard
Be evil

Avenge 9-11....Support Israel

Mostly splendidly. Five life sentences (consecutive) would have been more like it. With only one life sentence she could still be out of jail in her lifetime...she'll be really old yes, but still.

Kevin

The law did not allow for this.

She'll be 77 when she's first eligible for parole. No guarantee she'll get it, nor is there any guarantee whe'll be alive at that age. Her life is over. I'll take it.

------------------------------------
Knowledge is power
Power corrupts
Study hard
Be evil

Avenge 9-11....Support Israel

---- Thanks to Andrea, soon there'll be a waiting period for the purchase of a new bathtub.

73, Keith "And you'll prolly have to wait another while for the WATER, too" G

*TASKMASTER EXTRAORDINAIRE* --Revolutions halted--Tigers tamed--Computers verified--Bars emptied-- --Uprisings quelled--Creationism disproven--Dictators overthrown-- --'Pi' calculated completley--Female minds understood--

Especially when they're on sale for 50 for $3,000.

"KGename" wrote in message news:[email]...

new

Drunk and full of pie, Dawn C. wrote:

I said *42*!!

Drunk and full of pie, KGename wrote:

Hillbillies won't have a place to cook up their vittles. Who wants a bathtub mint julep?