A Closer Look at Depression in Mothers Who Kill Their Children

Kim, Jeonghyun; Choi, Sang Sub; Ha, Kyooseob

doi:10.4088/jcp.v69n1013

Cited by 36 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…In Europe, the 12-month prevalence of depression has been found to range from 2.6 to 9.1% [34,35]. Depressive disorders have also previously been associated with filicide and it was quite recently proposed that bipolarity should be considered when examining filicidal mothers with post-partum-onset depression, psychotic symptoms, and nonaltruistic motivation for filicide [36]. This did not, however, surface in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Filicide in Austria and Finland - A register-based study on all filicide cases in Austria and Finland 1995-2005

et al. 2009

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BackgroundFilicide is the tragic crime of murdering one's own child. Previous research has found that the offending parents are commonly depressed and that suicide is often associated as an actual act or an intention. Yet, filicide is an underreported crime and previous studies have been strained with methodological problems. No comprehensive international studies on filicide have been presented in the literature until now.MethodsThis was a descriptive, comprehensive, register-based study of all filicides in Austria and Finland during 1995-2005. Filicide-suicide cases were also included.ResultsMost of the perpetrators were the biological mothers; in Austria 72%, in Finland 52%. Suicide followed filicide either as an attempt or a fulfilled act in 32% and 54% of the cases in Austria and Finland, respectively. Psychotic mood disorders were diagnosed for 10% of the living perpetrators in Austria, and 12% in Finland. Non-psychotic depression was diagnosed in 9% of surviving perpetrators in Austria, 35% in Finland.ConclusionThe data from the two countries demonstrated that filicide is such a multifaceted and rare phenomenon that national data from individual countries seldom offer sufficient scope for its thorough study. Further analyses are needed to produce a complete picture of filicide.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 50%

Filicide in Austria and Finland - A register-based study on all filicide cases in Austria and Finland 1995-2005

et al. 2009

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“…Postpartum major depression is often misdiagnosed. In a study (12) of 45 filicidal women admitted to a forensic psychiatric unit during a 20-year period, 75.6% were diagnosed with major depression and 24.4% with bipolar disorder at admission. At discharge, 73.3% had been rediagnosed with bipolar disorder based on hypomanic or manic episodes during detention.…”

Section: Infanticidal Thoughtsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postpartum Psychosis: Detection of Risk and Management

Spinelli

2009

AJP

148

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Treatment in Psychiatry begins with a hypothetical case illustrating a problem in current clinical practice. The authors review current data on prevalence, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment. The article concludes with the authors' treatment recommendations for cases like the one presented.Mrs. A, a 34-year-old married mother who lived with her husband and their 5-year-old daughter, strangled her infant son to death 3 weeks after birth. She had a planned, healthy pregnancy with some depression at 28 weeks' gestation. She had a normal spontaneous vaginal delivery, giving birth to a healthy boy, "B." She began breastfeeding immediately. From postpartum days 2 through 11, her depression worsened. She was unable to sleep but could not get out of bed or attend to her hygiene. She was suspicious that her husband would harm B. On postpartum day 2, she began having obsessional, ego-dystonic images of throwing B out the window. She believed, despite the pediatrician's reassurances, that she was harming B with her breast milk and that he was losing weight. She was unable to give him a bath, believing that he had "gas" or "something bad" inside and could not be moved.On day 12, while alone in the car with B, she thought of killing herself and the baby, although "at the time I don't think I had any idea why." On day 13, she attempted suicide by overdose. She slept through the night and did not report the suicide attempt to anyone. She abruptly weaned B and then became disorganized and confused, unsure of what formula and size and types of bottles and nipples to use. She was agitated, calling friends day and night for opinions. On day 15 she attempted to smother B with a towel. "I don't believe it was a thought," she said. "It was 'autopilot.'" Her husband came upstairs, and Mrs. A believes that his presence shook her out of the "state" she was in. "I did not have the compulsion to hurt him any more after that evening … I just thought something was wrong, and I wasn't thinking straight." Her husband knew that she was not herself, but he did not understand that she was depressed and psychotic. Mrs. A did not receive treatment for her illness.On postpartum day 20, Mrs. A awoke at 6: 30 a.m. to feed B when he cried. Her husband and daughter kissed her goodbye, and Mr. A walked their daughter to school before going to work. She soon felt as if she was "taken over." She describes a dazed, trance-like state with confusion: "Something internal like a force … it was not a voice … but I did not have control. It was an instant. I don't recall thinking anything … I had no feelings. It was happening but I wasn't there.… At the time, nothing came into my head saying, 'No, do not do this.' … My inside was gone and it was something else." She briefly placed a towel over B's nose and mouth, but stopped. The "force" then became intense. She placed a washcloth in B's mouth and then strangled him with a telephone cord. She felt she was not connected to her own hands. When B was dead, she washed him with a cloth, removed the remnants of h...

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“…However, the representative Korean filicide study was conducted by psychiatrists also shows the importance of mental disorders filicidal mothers 7. In this study,7 the complete legal and medical documents of 45 offenders who were sentenced to undergo treatment at the National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry (NIFP), Gongju, Korea, for committing filicide or attempting filicide during 1987 to 2006, were selected and thoroughly reviewed to investigate if they received different final diagnosis in comparison of their admission time [mainly focusing on changing from major depressive disorder (MDD) to bipolar depression (BD)]. At the time of discharge, the prevalence rate of BD was 73%, increased by approximately 49% comparing to that of admission.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the time of discharge, the prevalence rate of BD was 73%, increased by approximately 49% comparing to that of admission. The significant depressive symptoms at the time of filicide that could predict BD were the presence of postpartum-onset depression (95% CI=1.45 to 160.88), psychotic symptoms (95% CI=1.94 to 215.81), and nonaltruistic motivation for filicide (95% CI=1.68 to 133.36) 7. This study clearly points out the importance and value of the exact and systematized psychiatric evaluation and follow-up to prevent filicide cases and diagnose such mothers, and thereby we may enhance our understanding on the mental disorders of filicidal mothers and establish prudent surveillance and supporting system for such people.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Back to the study of Kim et al,7 63% of filicidal mother had a history of contact with psychiatrist, which is strikingly disturbing and tragic data since such cases could have been saved if they had timely and proper intervention based on exact diagnosis by psychiatrists and cooperation among society and governmental established system such as Emergency Child Security Care System in Korea.…”

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confidence: 99%

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