What makes a parent kill their child?

[SandraM]

A boy from DS's old school was killed the other day. He was only 12, and his father has been charged with murder, it seems he did it with a hammer. He has a history of depression, but I think it's quite a leap from depression to a manic attack like this.

The older boy (15) found his brother when he went home on Friday evening, he has exams coming up in a month. Other neighbouring kids are in the same class as him, so they are naturally devastated.

Counsellors have come into the school to help, they'll have their work cut out for them. Everyone, including the teachers, is devastated.

I used to know this kid's brothers when I helped out in the library in DS's old school. The family only live a couple of miles from my house. Now a brother, father, and the father’s income have all gone from them in one day. How do you ever get over that?

I can't believe something like this has happened so close to home.
Can anyone throw some light on what sort of mental illness makes a parent do this? And how can the family ever recover?

 

[danacara]

They just break, literally. The human condition is more fragile than we'd like to think.

 

[flrose]

I wonder the same thing SandraM. It just confuses the heck out of me how you can do that to your own flesh and blood. You would think you would know if you are about to snap but, I guess you don't. It's kinda scary when you think about it.

There has been a case here recently: mother and 10 mo old baby disappeared. The mother was found and now they are looking for the baby in a "garbage dump". So far it seems the baby's alleged father (they were suppose to go for paternity testing this week) may have had something to do with it. So sad, I think of all the people out there who WANT babies and would PAY for them. Even if you didn't want your baby couldn't you find someone to take them, rather than murder them? So sad!

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

I don't know. I'm sorry to hear about the tragedy that is so close to you.

Over the weekend a woman not far from here killed her three teenage children and her boyfriend before killing herself. It's not known why she did it. I can only wonder how much pain and distress she must have been trying to endure that she felt the need to take the lives of all five of them.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by SandraM
A boy from DS's old school was killed the other day. He was only 12, and his father has been charged with murder, it seems he did it with a hammer. He has a history of depression, but I think it's quite a leap from depression to a manic attack like this.

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He may have been a "manic depressive" - entirely different diagnosis than "depression" - and perhaps he stopped taking his meds.. So sad..

 

[lsyorke]

Another murder after stopping paxil. There can be alot of reasons for the mental health of a person to deteriorate to this point. Cold Turkey withdrawal from some antidepressants can cause suicidal,homicial ideation. Its such a shame.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/loca...28,0,5021230.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

 

[browneyes]

People are just animals.

There's a case not too far from here of SEVERE abuse of a little girl about my dd's age. Her abuse was so severe, the hospital staff are having to go through counseling to deal with the trauma they went through to help her with her injuries. Her mother and her step-father are the ones that did the abuse to her, for years. The mother said it happened because the step father had a mental disorder. Luckily, the courts decided he was sane enough to go to prison for 150 years. The mother is NOT a mother to let someone and to assist someone in hurting her child that way. I can't remember how long she's going to prison for, but it's not enough.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by lsyorke
Another murder after stopping paxil. There can be alot of reasons for the mental health of a person to deteriorate to this point. Cold Turkey withdrawal from some antidepressants can cause suicidal,homicial ideation. Its such a shame.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/loca...28,0,5021230.story?coll=dp-headlines-virginia

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I was under the impression that these suicidal/homicidal ideations occured only in the teen population.. Several years ago my DD was on Paxil and went off to Maine on a five-day vacation, accidentally leaving her Paxil at home.. At the time she was in her late 20's and by no means did she suffer from suicidal or homicidal thoughts.. She was a bit dizzy for a day or two, but that was the extent of her symptoms..

I think it's a very individualized thing - just like those who undergo chemotherapy and become extremely ill, while others are able to go to work every and hike up mountains on the weekends with no problems.. (I have a dear friend who was able to do exactly that..) What I fear now is that every person who commits a horrible crime will use antidepressants and their withdrawl as a defense - much like the defense lawyers who use the "broken home" syndrome as a defense for their clients..

There are no blanket answers here.. Without antidepressants many people become suicidal or suffer from bouts of uncontrollable rage so I guess the pros and cons have to be weighed very carefully and of course monitored strictly by a competent psychiatrist..

So sad..

 

[dumboiu]

Originally posted by browneyes
People are just animals.

I am not sure your statement is being fair to animals..........let alone the vast majority of people.

There are sick people in the world, and without all the information, there is no way on earth we (on the DIS) can figure out what was going through the mind of this person..........whether it was drug induced, whether they had a major chemical balance, etc. But........we can all agree that it was tragic.

 

[lsyorke]

I agree there are no blanket answers to these horrible acts, but in saying that we're questioning how a parent could kill a child and there are many factors that can contribute. The incidence of homicidal and suicidal thoughts related to antidepressants is noteworthy, but not the only explaination. I agree that the antidepressant defense could be taken advantage of, but to deny its existence doesn't make it go away. People who murder should be tried for murder, but extenuating cirucumstances are always present in murder cases and need to be brought out.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by lsyorke
I agree that the antidepressant defense could be taken advantage of, but to deny its existence doesn't make it go away. People who murder should be tried for murder, but extenuating cirucumstances are always present in murder cases and need to be brought out.

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I would never deny it's existence - actually there are a number of non-antidepressant drugs that can also produce the same side effects.. It's a very individualized thing.. After my Dad had surgery for colon cancer they gave him morphine for pain and he went totally wild! Ripped all of the tubings out, attacked the nurses, had severe hallucinations that he was tied up and being kidnapped, etc. - but certainly that doesn't warrant banning morphine..

I am VERY concerned that this movement in regards to antidepressants will go way too far and then you will have people (yes - even teenagers) committing suicide and/or violent crimes because they can't get the meds that will help them.. Considering the numbers of people (teens and adults) who are currently taking these meds (and have been for a number of years) the incidents you speak of are a very small number..

All I'm saying is "don't throw the baby out with the bath water.."

 

[lsyorke]

"I am VERY concerned that this movement in regards to antidepressants will go way too far and then you will have people (yes - even teenagers) committing suicide and/or violent crimes because they can't get the meds that will help them.. "

I think we agree more than we disagree!! If the possibility of side effects are there and people don't know about them, then they will stop taking these meds suddenly not knowing that this is the worst thing that they can do!! Thats what I'm fighting for. Getting the information out there that these drugs can have undesirable effects when stopped suddenly. We have the right to have complete disclosure regarding what we put in our bodies so we can make an informed decision.Up until this point this information(however small the incidence) was hidden from the public.Banning these drugs will never happen, but being informed of possible side effects prior to taking them is our right. Lets face it mind altering drugs have been around for ages. Freud used cocaine in his research, esctasy was used therapeutically initially. We learn about things everyday and have to be aware of the most current information available to us.

 

[C.Ann]

Originally posted by lsyorke
"I am VERY concerned that this movement in regards to antidepressants will go way too far and then you will have people (yes - even teenagers) committing suicide and/or violent crimes because they can't get the meds that will help them.. "

I think we agree more than we disagree!! If the possibility of side effects are there and people don't know about them, then they will stop taking these meds suddenly not knowing that this is the worst thing that they can do!! Thats what I'm fighting for. Getting the information out there that these drugs can have undesirable effects when stopped suddenly. We have the right to have complete disclosure regarding what we put in our bodies so we can make an informed decision.Up until this point this information(however small the incidence) was hidden from the public.Banning these drugs will never happen, but being informed of possible side effects prior to taking them is our right. Lets face it mind altering drugs have been around for ages. Freud used cocaine in his research, esctasy was used therapeutically initially. We learn about things everyday and have to be aware of the most current information available to us.

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Agreed! Info is crucial with any medication..

 

[momm2four]

Browneyes, I think the lady received a sentence of something like 60 or 70 years. She claimed she was a victim of battered woman syndrome, but the courts wouldn't let her doctor testify, so the lawyers are of course crying foul.

That poor little girl....there's no telling what kind of emotional scars she will carry.

Lori P.