What is postpartum psychosis and why is it central in the Lindsay Clancy trial?

• Postpartum psychosis is a rare but severe psychiatric emergency occurring in 1-2 per 1,000 deliveries, characterised by delusions, hallucinations, and disorganised thinking within weeks of childbirth, requiring immediate hospitalisation and treatment.
• Early recognition and screening for postpartum mood disorders—including depression, anxiety, and psychosis—are critical, as untreated severe perinatal mental illness can impair maternal functioning and parenting capacity, necessitating urgent psychiatric intervention.
• Legal and clinical recognition of postpartum psychosis as a distinct condition affecting maternal capacity and culpability has evolved, with maternal mental health assessment now considered essential in cases involving harm to children in the postpartum period.

Clancy is accused of killing her three children in Massachusetts in 2023 and her defence team point to severe postpartum mental illness.

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