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Lindsay Clancy is Accused of Killing Her 3 Kids and Moms on TikTok are Sharing Their Stories of Postpartum Psychosis: "It Can Happen to Anyone in Any Situation"

Moms are revealing the dark thoughts they’ve had as a result of postpartum psychosis and showing support for Lindsay Clancy on TikTok.

A nationwide conversation has been sparked about postpartum psychosis in the aftermath of Lindsay Clancy, a mom of three who is accused of strangling her children, daughter Cora, 5, son Dawson, 3, and son Callan, 7 months, before attempting to take her own life, which may have been a result of the mental illness her defense claims. Postpartum psychosis (PPP) can affect anyone who recently gave birth and the Cleveland Clinic states, "Experts estimate that it affects between 0.089 and 2.6 out of every 1,000 births. In the United States, that means it happens in between 320 and 9,400 births each year. Globally, that means it happens in between 12 million and 352.3 million births."

Moms on TikTok are sharing their own stories with the serious mental health condition and the hashtag #postpartumpsychosis on the platform has 66.6M views with many showing support for Clancy. 

TikToker Shares She Thought Her Husband Was an Imposter During Her  Postpartum Psychosis

@notalisonthanks This is an important one, let's talk about it. #postpartumrecovery #postpartumpsychosis #postpartumrage #postpartumawareness #lindsayclancy #lindsayclancystory #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthtiktoks #psychosisawareness #psychosis #intrusivethoughts #intrusivethoughtscheck #foryou #fyp #health #passiton ♬ original sound – Alison Frankel328

Alison Frankel has done several TikToks on the subject and shared what she's gone through. "Believe it or not, it can happen to anyone in any situation." She explained that postpartum psychosis was very different to experiencing invasive thoughts. "I mistakenly in my psychosis believed that universes had collided and that the husband that I had known for seven years was replaced by a different person that looked exactly like him from a different universe," Frankel said.

The TikToker revealed she was diagnosed with Capgras syndrome, which JAMA Network describes as "a delusional belief that a person has been replaced by an imposter. It has been described in psychiatric and neurological (neurodegenerative and nonneurodegenerative) diseases." 

Wife Was Going to Leave Husband Because She Thought He was Going to Hurt Her and the Kids

@444muneka Thankfully this only happened once but I can still remember how he looked during this moment. Mom's need to be heard, not dismissed. #lindsayclancy #postpartum #postpartumpsychosis ♬ original sound – Jaymecorlew🖤🖤🖤

Frankel is sharing candid details of her experience and said, "I honestly believed that this person, or thing, that had taken over my husband's body that was not him was going to hurt me and my children." She admitted that she wanted to leave in the middle of the night and run away out of fear that this imposter would harm them.

"Psychosis is not just a thought that you have when you're upset or when you're frustrated," she said. "Psychosis is something that you really believe with all your heart that is really happening in that moment. And you have to do something to fix it."

There's countless stories on TikTok of women experiencing irrational and delusional thoughts after giving birth and TikToker 444muneka shared, "Hearing about the Lindsay Clancy case reminded me of the time when I suddenly work up from sleeping turned to look at my 2 week old son and vividly seeing him blue I woke up yelling "papi", "papi" while shaking him. For him to wake up crying & not blue at all. PPD, PPA & PPP are VERY real." In the caption for the video that's been viewed over 768,000 times she wrote, "Thankfully this only happened once but I can still remember how he looked during this moment. Mom's need to be heard, not dismissed. #lindsayclancy #postpartum #postpartumpsychosis" The TikTok has also received over 1100 comments with users also showing their support. 

V•A•L wrote, "Those of us who went through PPD understand that Lindsay Clancy didn't do that on purpose. I hope she gets the help she needs. " Teena Stroop wrote, "Let's keep talking about this. We didn't learn from Andrea Yates. Let's learn from Lindsay and make this known," while many others shared their personal experiences in the comment section. 

Mental Health Therapist and TikToker Reminds Women "You're Not Going Crazy"

@_authentically_alicia To all the moms ❣️ #momsoftiktok #postpartumlife #postpartum #ppa #ppd #motherhood ♬ original sound – 🙂

TikToker authentically_alicia is a "mental health therapist" according to her bio and she's done several videos on PPP since the Lindsay Clancy case. She's reminding women that "you're not going crazy!" In one TikTok she writes, "As a mom and therapist, I wish there was a way to tell newly postpartum moms that are struggling that it is all fleeting and temporary. You are not going crazy. You will not look like this or feel like this forever."

She concludes, "This is not your new normal, but it is not easy." In another video she says, "Logging on after the Lindsay Clancy arraignment to remind everyone I'm still pro-Lindsay, postpartum illnesses come in many shapes and forms and it is literally the prosecutors job to plant doubt in your mind."

RELATED: Newest Bone Chilling Details About the Mom Accused of Killing Her 3 Kids

Lindsay Clancy's Husband is Asking People to Forgive His Wife

GoFundMe

Patrick Clancy has lost his entire family, yet he's still asking for people to forgive his wife after she has been accused of killing their three children before attempting to take her own life. On a Go Fund Me Page set up on his behalf, the grieving father recalled the joy he got from his kids. "The shock and pain is excruciating and relentless. I'm constantly reminded of them and with the little sleep I get, I dream about them on repeat," Clancy wrote on Jan. 28. "Cora, Dawson, and Callan were the essence of my life and I'm completely lost without them." Clancy wrote that his 7-month-old son Callan would rest his head on his shoulder every morning after waking up, writing that he was "an incredibly happy and vibrant baby, constantly smiling." He said Callan "…died with enormous courage despite being so little. Maybe it was his way of demonstrating what I need to do to press forward."

He remembered how his daughter Cora had an "infectious laugh," how she wanted to be a doctor one day, and "loved sloths, unicorns, [and] tea parties." Clancy described his 3-year-old Dawson' as "beautiful, bold, brown eyes that beamed with friendship" and wrote, "he loved trucks, tractors, dinosaurs, Paw Patrol, 'worker guys' and being outside," adding that the two had shared "a special bond from day 1." In the lengthy message, he also mentioned his wife and asked people to forgive her. "I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have," he wrote. "The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone — me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace."

Heather Newgen
Heather Newgen has two decades of experience reporting and writing about health, fitness, entertainment and travel. Heather currently freelances for several publications. Read more
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