I do think Lindsay Clancy is guilty of murder. I believe she knew what she was doing was wrong, and I think she should be convicted. At the same time, there are clearly mitigating circumstances, as we have all seen in the cascade of postpartum depression symptoms and rotating medications. Clearly, her mind was not where it should have been.

That being said, I still believe she knew what she was doing was immoral. I mean, sending her husband away—she was calculating. She was calculating to do something that she knew other people would think was wrong, which means she knew it was wrong. Now, I am not a psychiatrist.

My main interest in this case, aside from the tragedy itself, is the uncoordinated care this woman received. They ignored and did not follow up on clear symptoms of bipolar disorder, and her care providers failed to coordinate with one another. She was truly a tragedy waiting to happen, and it is a severe indictment of the medical system that so many people blindly trust, assuming “the doctors know what they’re doing.” Not necessarily.

You have to take control of your own health: organize your health care providers, make sure they are at least aware of test results and doctor’s notes written by others, and insist on self-advocacy. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you to just follow orders and shut up. That is what will land you in big trouble, because at the end of the day, the ones paying the ultimate price are Lindsay Clancy—and, unfortunately, her three beautiful children who never got to live their lives.