Whose Hands Have Blood On Them?

[Jane]

Sometime last year, a young 8 month pregnant mother, who was living in a bedsit, drowned her three eldest children, all, I believe, under school age, before throwing herself from a multi story car park. I believe her to have had long term mental problems, because of which, unable to cope, her boyfriend had gone back to live with his mother. It has just been said in an interview that "No professional body could have predicted this would happen"!!! OK, maybe not, but surely the situation rang warning bells with SOMEONE.

[maggie]

Sometime last year, a young 8 month pregnant mother, who was living in a bedsit, drowned her three eldest children, all, I believe, under school age, before throwing herself from a multi story car park. I believe her to have had long term mental problems, because of which, unable to cope, her boyfriend had gone back to live with his mother. It has just been said in an interview that "No professional body could have predicted this would happen"!!! OK, maybe not, but surely the situation rang warning bells with SOMEONE.

Hi April, while no one can predict exactly what will happen I agree surely there must be warning signs.  Now that most care of mentally ill people occurs in the community surely doctors etc. should be more aware of the possibilities and take steps to at least try to safeguard against such a dreadful tragedy.  We have seen enough these past few years to understand that when a mother or father is mentally ill and under severe strain, if  they decide to end their lives more often than not they choose to take their children, with them. Every parent's first instinct is to protect their children and if the world is too stressful and frightening for the parent to live in, it would naturally follow in their reasoning that it is the same for the children they love, leaving them behind would seem to be an act of abandonment to a mentally ill parent

[Jane]

Maggie, leaving aside any mental illness, a 19(?) year old with three children under 5 and about to give birth to a forth, living in a bedsit, deserted by the father of the children, ISN'T going to be in a good place, so that alone must have meant that she and her children were at risk, if not from any form of violence, but from her inability to cope with the situation in which she found herself.

[Alias]

Sad, sad.
Another recent case: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/01/19/justice/maryland-exorcism-deaths/
A mother and her female friend stab children to death during what they believed was an excorcism.
This article does not go in depth, but the mother had serious mental issues and had been committed to hospital twice.
Heard some comments from an American psychologist. First of all, he stated that it is "severe psychotic thinking" to believe your children are possessed by the Devil (as should Sheila´s doctors have!). This psychologist questioned the mother´s mental illness treatment and the fact that she was allowed to live with her four children.

[lookout]

Another sad story was that of Tallulah,a young 15 year old,,who couldn't differentiate between fantasy and reality and became obsessed with the internet. The girl took on a fantasy cocaine-taking character in which to shut out the outside world of reality,,and sadly " fell " under a train.
Obviously her parents would see a change in her,,but never envisaged her throwing her life away,,even though the warning signs were there.
A very sad ending.