The case of Andrea Yates has troubled us all when we learned that a mother drowned 5 kids in her home in Texas nearly two years ago. As this horrific family slaughter stirred up both feelings of hate and sympathy, many people were trying to find out whether she was really insane and unable to control her behavior at the time she committed this terrifying crime. After her conviction of murder, many of us questioned if it was justified or not. Sentencing to life in prison with a right to parole in 40 years is the harsh punishment for someone who is clearly insane. There were a few cases in our history when insane people were sentenced to serve time in prisons instead of getting proper treatments in mental institutions. .
According to the number of doctors who tested Andrea Yates, described her condition as a very rare case in which many factors contributed its influence. Andrea had a long history of a postpartum depression and has been diagnosed with psychosis. That is enough proof to state that Andrea is a very mentally disturbed person full of delusions and visions from the outside of this world. It's hard to tell whether these mental illnesses were inherited or developed later in life, but the fact that she was constantly treated indicates the seriousness of her state of being. The number of common symptoms which Andrea experienced during that time may have caused her to become irritated and angry; also, to feel self-guilt and worthlessness as a mother. Nonetheless important to add that there may have been even more psychological damage which forced her to behave in this criminal way. To be a mother of five children is a difficult task for any woman, especially if she suffers from a severe depression. Unwanted pregnancies and possible abuse from her husband isn't an exception in this case either. When all these contributing factors mix together it's easy to follow that a woman had a very hard time to cope with her problems and herself "as a mother, a wife and a sick patient.
