Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention Advance Access originally published online on July 17, 2007
Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention 2007 7(3):239-247; doi:10.1093/brief-treatment/mhm006
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Postpartum Mood Disorders: When Mothers Kill—The Case of Mary Ellen Moffitt
From The Southwest Council, Inc., Vineland, NJ, 08360
Contact author: Lauren Radano, Prevention Specialist, The Southwest Council, Inc., Vineland, NJ. E-mail address: Lradano{at}gmail.com.
This article provides a detailed case study of Mary Ellen Moffitt, a mother suffering from postpartum depression, who killed her 5-week-old daughter and then committed suicide. Similar cases have been widely publicized in recent years and deserve increased attention. The notion that postpartum depression is strictly a biological disease is inaccurate, as there are typically psychosocial factors that contribute to the disease as well. The final section of this article examines treatment options.
KEY WORDS: postpartum depression, depression, Mary Ellen Moffitt, infanticide