I'm admittedly an infrequent blogger at best on my LittleRebel AND Tumblr sites, and I have always stated from the beginning of my blogging life that this was probably going to be the case. Every time I write a LR blog, it ends up taking literally hours because I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to my writing, and my infrequent posts tend to lead to multiple updates merging into typically ginormous blogs. Honestly, I'm glad I'm this kind of blogger; I've said it before and I'll say it again--I detest people who overestimate their importance and our interest in every single aspect and moment of their lives. I feel the same way when it comes to FB--I relaly don't need to know that an hour ago you ate 3 chicken tenders and wish you hadn't bought the 5 piece meal because you wasted it, then you stopped by to see your Mom, and now you're debating a nap. Sometimes I go through fazes where I find myself oversharing, and I was most definitely guilty of it upon first getting on FB, but typically I rarely update my status. That's not to say that my statuses are always important or interesting--indeed, I bet they rarely are--but at least I'm not being annoying by clogging up my friends' news feeds with inane rambling. Pretty sure I do that enough in person as it is haha! (Of course, it must be noted that there is a blog I read almost daily--the author blogs 5 or 6 times a week on average--but it's never boring or annoying). Ultimately, my life is relatively routine between work and using my "days off" to clean my landlord's house (to discount my rent), planning and working on various organizational projects (for pay), or clean my own house. You would be hard pressed to find me lounging around all day on an off day--and I prefer it this way, and therefore love the days I do lay around more than most--but even the activities that don't fit into my routine have their own of sorts. So--not much to update day to day. My Tumblr blog is almost entirely dedicated to things relating to SCI, though sometimes I discuss literary topics and non-book-club books there too, so I never intended to write on that one more than a couple times a month. As of right now, I really only write once a month, at the beginning, and post a picture of that month's selection. I would love to get to the point where I'm writing at the beginning AND either in the middle (to note my progress of the SCI book, thoughts, and so forth) or at the end once we've had our monthly discussion (to build of the viewpoints and thoughts of the others and put them into writing a little more). It's doubtful, but I can hope.
The point is, I started THIS blog thinking I would write in it all the time because I love psychology and always find it fascinating to apply the science of and behind it to current events...but that doesn't seem to be happening. I should have known that I'd want to do extensive research on each topic, and would therefore write longer but very thorough blogs, but that didn't even cross my mind. I think I'm going to aim to post on here once a month--fingers crossed!
For this post, I'm focusing less on a current event (though one will be discussed briefly) and more on one that happened ten years ago. Still kind of current, and definitely relevant and important, but not super up-to-date. The events in question? Casey Anthony and Andrea Yates. I know, I know--here we go.
For starters, the intense focus on the Anthony case, combined with the very poorly run trial (in my opinion) and my general disdain for Casey herself (and increasingly, Casey's mother as well) have for the most part made me want to avoid any social media and/or personal discussions that even remotely relate to the case. Usually, my psychologically driven mind cause me to do extensive, and usually pointless, research on such topics and events. This trial maks my skin crawl, and any interest I have in the specifics of the case are negated by my reluctance to give Casey even the smallest amount of my attention. I don't want to ever think that she will make money from me should she write a book or have a reality show or something equally stupid, but probable. I'm not surprised that she was found not guilty, because the prosecution apparently didn't feel the need to prepare for the trial at all to the point that I'm almost convinced they didn't really care about justice for Caylee (even if I had believed Casey to be innocent, I would expect and want to see a solid case from both sides). The defense was pretty weak, as well, but since the prosecution didn't present anything with solid evidence or backing, the defense's job of planting even the tiniest seed of doubt was pretty easy. I feel bad for the jury; I'm sure many of them thought she was guilty, but couldn't find a way to be able to back up a guilty verdict without referencing personal opinions. Of course, I'll never know for certain, but I'm pretty confident in my belief that she is completely guilty--of first degree murder, tampering with a corpse (this isn't the exact phrase, but you know what I mean), lying to and evading the police and the legal system as a whole, as well as the one offense she was found guilty of (check fraud). Sociopaths and psychopaths interest me a great deal, but in viewing the few clips from the trial I caught on the news and especially the still photos that I saw more of than live footage, I found myself repulsed and appalled instead of interested. People with abnormal levels and/or approachs to empathy and all human emotion will always fascinate me; it's not that I'm enthralled by their killing of others, but instead by trying to find any change in mood or emotion based on facial expressions, mannerisms, and the like. In psychology, we can always learn more and therefore increase our ability to help those with mental illnesses; more importantly, I think, humans need to see (from afar, for most), understand, and appreciate the absolute depravity the human race is capable of in order to appreicate and embrace the goodness and kindness that so many people so easily and readily overlook and/or take for granted.
Casey Anthony exhibits clearly so many sociopathic tendencies, and I think she should be sentenced to spend at least a couple of months in a facility to get a proper diagnosis (es) and the corresponding medications and therapies. There shouldn't be any shame in this, but there still exists enough of an overall awkward and uncomfortable understanding of psychology...so people are willing to just not discuss that option. What scares me most regarding Casey lies in the idea that she has already expressed the desire to have more children, even it with other prisoners while awaiting trial, and the seemingly genuine giddiness she feels at this thought. How she can even be able to consider another child with the shit storm that has overtaken her life over the MURDER of her daughter? Her chilling smile and on-demand tears are disturbing at best. More than anything, I'm fully aware that she may kill or strongly desire to kill any or all of her future kids. She may fight it, but if she did kill Caylee and is able to show no real emotion in discussing her daughter's death, she will be more likely to become a repeat killer. If so, we as a society probably won't know until it is too late for another child. And thus begins my tie-in to Andrea Yates, and the importance of learning from our mistakes, listening to those in authority, and laying the blame everywhere that it is due--even if it seems so minor in comparison to the overall crime.
The Andrea Yates case has always fascinated me, beginning with the first reports in early 2001--when I was 15--that so shocked the nation. Honestly, the case was shocking, but now I think I'm more shocked, and saddened, by how much it has faded from society's collective memory. Once we allow ourselves to figure such tragedies, they are free to happen again. Sure, little parts of the story will change, but the underlying issues and illnesses will not. Moreover, those that do remember the case in any detail only seem to focus on Andrea and her actions, illnesses, and the like. It's like nobody else even existed in the family besides her and the children anymore, and that is very much not true. I know that I'll get ripped to shreds for this, and I'm in no way excusing what Andrea did...and I know that Rusty went through an experience that I hope to never understand and his pain level must have been inexplicable to the layperson, but...I think Andrea having to shoulder all of the blame is pretty unfair. I'm not saying he should have been made to go to jail or join Andrea for a lengthy in an instituion, but it is far worse that he was able to walk free without regret or, more than likely, even the insinuation to his face that he should feel slight guilt. Before I did my research, I thought he got married and had kids much quicker after this tragedy than he did, but the fact that he was able to date, get divorced, get married and have kids within 7 years still seems a little off to me. He lost five kids in on fell swoop, and though I would never judge somebody's grief process (each and every person is different!)...something about his demeanor and attitude throughout the trial and in its aftermath just rubbed me the wrong way. Especially since I personally place about 35-40% of the blame on him. Yes, that much.
In researching Andrea's personal background and reviewing the coverage of that surrounded the case and trial, I kept being reminded that Andrea, though clearly driven enough to support herself as a nurse for several years before meeting Rusty, is at her core a relatively insecure and submissive individual by nature. Insecurity is an easy flaw to tap into and manipulate, sometimes even without meaning to do so--though obviously more so when that manipulation is executed intentionally. That being said, her tendency to be submissive probably caused more problems in the end. I have no doubt that Andrea wanted children, and she may very well have honestly shared Rusty's desire to have as many as nature would give them, but I find it hard to believe that she would continue to feel that way as she felt her psyche fragmenting and shattering, pulling her away from reality. According to her doctors, Andrea's depression really flared up and became known after the birth of their fourth child, Luke, in February of 1999. Odds are, however, she probably experienced some form of postpartum depression before that; the fact that the depression presented at such an intense level and already contained paranoia and anxiety levels indicates that the chemical imbalance had already existed prior to the meltdown that was the build up to her first suicide attempt. I find it hard to believe that Rusty, even if he spent the majority of time work or otherwise away from the home, would have failed to notice any signs or symptoms--even minor ones--of depression, anxiety, psychosis...or just weirdness (for lack of a better word). It seems that he enjoyed being the dominant component of his marriage, even with the lack of physical abuse for the duration of their entire relationship. More than anything, he probably intentionally failed to notice any indicators of mental imbalances in Andrea, and that more than likely was the dynamic of their relationship from the beginning. Mental illness or not, four children that young puts a strain--emotional, mental, physically, etc.--on even the strongest individuals. As Andrea stayed home with the children, he should have first and foremost respected that perhaps they should let their children grow up a little more before having any additional children. Poor baby Mary never had a chance, though, and that should have been obvious to Rusty before even her conception.
Disregarding for a moment what her psychiatrists said about having more children, the fact that Andrea had already attempted suicide at least three times, and threatened it at least once on top of that, should have been effective birth control by itself. A fair amount of the time, those who attempt suicide may turn that aggression outwards--so that should have at least subconsciously been a fear--but even if Rusty was in extreme denial of Andrea's ability and/or desire to harm their children, the potential consquences for their family of her suicide attempts alone should have had more of an impact in his decision making. Andrea was clearly a risk to herself, and likely spent most of her time lost in her own mind. Just that fact alone (that she was not mentally present and intensely preoccupied) should have caused enough concern to bring in help (ie a nanny or rotating babysitters so she wouldn't have to handle the kids alone). How he thought that bringing ANOTHER child into the world made any sense, I'll never know. Maybe he thought it would "snap her out of it"; perhaps once they discovered it was a girl after four boys made him believe she would react differently...maybe so many things. But the fact is, they had several doctors, and Andrea's primary psychiatrist multiple times--tell them point blank to NOT have more children. This was after Andrea had been diagnosed with postpartum psychosis instead of postpartum depression. Psychosis. Even if you don't know a lot about psychology, it is fairly obvious by the word itself that psychosis is a bad thing. Rusty and Andrea were told many times, together and separately, that having more kids, at least for a couple of years, would almost guarantee a resurgence of the psychosis she constantly had to be medicated for as it was, and more than likely to a much more severe degree. Once she learned she was pregnant, she went off her ant-psychosis medication, Haldol due to its strength and chance of being transferred to the baby. Since pregnancy hormones were what caused--or at the very least, triggered--her decline, one would think she would be pretty terrified about it and try to consult her doctor to get a lower dosage or...something. Of course, she may have become so submissive by this point that her completely blocked out her own opinion on the topic--even from herself.
Postpartum depression can cause people to lash out well before it even approaches psychosis level, which it rarely does in any case. More often than not, women may feel distanced from their child and have thoughts of harming them, but will internalized those feelings and harm themselves--whether it be physically, mentally, or both. Sometimes, it goes away on its own; other times, medication is required to help balance out the hormones and chemicals. Rarely do people have to stay on the meds long term; most women wean themselves off of it as their body and mind rebalance. No matter the solution path taken, these things take time. I can think of few women who would truly consider getting pregnant again while feeling so off internally. Right now, I can't recall if Andrea had any prior issues with depression--clinical, seasonal, mild, any at all--but I'm betting she did. Sometimes, though rarely, the hormones of pregnancy will "wake up" depressive parts of the brain; in other words, they won't really have a history of any noticeable depression or anxiety, but in actuality it existed all along. In Andrea's case, there probably were signs of mild depression at points throughout her young life, but who knows how that was handled in her family.
So, the Yates had already disregarded all medical and mental health advice in going ahead in trying and keeping the pregnancy. For a time, Andrea seemed to be coping, even after the birth of Mary. Upon the death of her father in March of 2001, however, she broke with reality again, refusing to take her medication (which she needed more than ever at this point), obsessively reading the Bible, and self-mutilating. She was hospitalized twice in just over a month between April and May of 2011. As a result, they would receive the second crucial piece of medical advice they chose to ignore. Everybody involved in Andrea's case agreed that she should NEVER be left alone, and especially never be allowed to be with the kids alone, for any period of time at all. Had they followed the instructions, there is a good chance that Andrea would have eventually (probably with some permanent meds and some temporary) stabilized and would no longer be considered a threat to herself or others (of course, it's hard to say on this as well, since they probably would have continued to have children). In other words, I doubt any of her doctors intended for her to live the rest of her life needing constant supervision around her children. The severity of Andrea's case would naturally extend the time it would take to get back to that stabilized point, but even in a milder case, she never should have been left alone with 5 small children one month after leaving the psychiatric ward. Maybe Rusty had to get to work early; maybe Andrea's mother literally couldn't get there an hour earlier; maybe they thought she was doing better enough to make that decision themselves; maybe they thought "It's one hour--what harm could she do in such a small amount of time?" Whatever the reason, she had that one hour the morning of June 20th, 2001. It took even less than the full 60 minutes to drown all five of her children; her mother had not arrived by the time she called the police and Rusty. She was a thin woman, but much bigger, older, and stronger than a 7 year old, a five year old, a three year old, a two year old, and a 6 month old--no contest. Add her psychosis on top of that, and she would have been pretty strong competition against even other adults. The children had no chance, and they didn't even see it coming...except 7 year old Noah. We can all hope that the children suffered very little or not at all, and convince ourselves there's a good chance of that, except for in Noah's case. He saw Mary in the tub and tried to run away; he fought hard before succumbing to drowning. He knew with certainty that he was being killed, and he knew that it was at the hands of his mother. That tears me up inside a little every time I imagine his last few moments on Earth. I can't imagine.
So yes, I of course blame Andrea for their deaths--she held each of them underwater until they stopped breathing. She killed them, no doubt. But now, ten years later and living in a mental hospital, her hormones and chemicals are as stable as they will ever be--and she no longer has that cloud of insanity over her actions. She has to live, in a virtual prison for the rest of her life, remembering that she had a family, that once upon a time she grew them in her body and cradled them in her arms, and she took it away from herself. Living with that realization every day? If nothing else, I applaud her strength for simply still being alive. There is no doubt that her mental illnesses drove her decision and actions that ultimately killed her children. While I feel it's not quite empathy for her, there is a definite, odd pang of sympathy for her in my heart. Even that is split--I imagine her pain and daily anguish now and feel that sympathy; then I imagine her meticulously drowning each child, and my heart grows cold towards her. It's a weird paradox, but I am pretty sure she is being punished for her actions, from herself more than anybody else.
But Rusty? Well, he received none of the blame, but he certainly ignored medical instruction as well as Andrea. And then got her pregnant again. And them left her alone with the kids. I remember seeing clips of the funeral for the five children, and my heart definitely went out to him then. He lost everything--his children, his wife, and I'm sure at least part of his sanity--in under an hour. I saw grief in his eyes, and lots of pain, but I'm not sure he felt any guilt. He honestly may not think he is guilty of anything. Or he may beat himself up every day for leaving them alone for that hour. I don't know him; I can't pretend to know what he thinks or feels. I don't even know what I believe would be a legal way to handle that.
For now, I think such things will have to fall to the psychological world. Educate people on the severity of these problems, and on how quickly someone can snap and change numerous lives. There is only so much advice on can give out; at some point, you have to just hope that they listen. Perhaps I merely wish that Andrea didn't have to carry the guilt all alone. Rusty divorced her (though I know he used to visit her pretty often and still might) and remarried. He has at least one child from that union. He has a family, and a life, and she has an instituation and bad memories. On the other hand, I'm sure he always feels like there should be 6 kids where there is only one. Creating a new life for yourself doesn't erase the pain of what has been lost. But he has creating something that at least helps; Andrea only has one family to dwell on--the one she destroyed.
When starting this blog, I was so angry at Rusty Yates, and I thought this was going to come out in angry bursts. In writing this, though, my criticisms have been softened a little and I realize my anger and lack of any ideas as to help won't help anybody. I do feel Rusty should have gotten some of the blame, but I'm sure the funeral of his kids was prison enough. I don't want to punish people like him, but instead educate them thoroughly before such an event. There should at least be the knowledge of possible consequences, but as long as we view people like Rusty only as a victim and not at all like a negligent accomplice, there will never be even a protoyple for such a thing. And I hate to wish for a situation like that to prevent itself--somebody has to die for that, and I wish that on NOBODY. But when tragedies strike, there are chances to learn. Any ideas on what would be appropriate for such a thing (if you even understand my brain's dilemma with this)? Sociopathy and psychopathy seem to be on the rise, or at the very least on the surface more these days, which in turns multiplies the chances of situations like this (psychosis patients often behave like sociopaths when they are in the midst of it; the difference, of course, is that they will eventually feel that empathy and sympathy that is clouded by the psychosis).
Hopefully next time I'll have more of a clear cut discussion--and a more current topic. Fingers crossed, but don't hold your breath. Haha.
