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In this episode of Rage on the Rocks, we unpack the public conversation around the Lindsay Clancy case — a mother on trial in the US over the deaths of her three children — and the flood of certainty, armchair diagnosis and attention-seeking media coverage surrounding it.

This is not a verdict episode. We are not here to decide guilt or innocence from a podcast microphone. Instead, we talk about postnatal psychosis, the difference between perinatal anxiety/depression and a rare psychiatric emergency, the impossible expectations placed on mothers, and what happens when devastating family tragedy becomes online content.

We also ask harder questions: Who gets empathy when they are unwell? Who is assumed to be a “good mother”? Why does public discussion so quickly become a hot-take competition? And what would it look like to take maternal mental health seriously before crisis hits?

Trigger warning

This episode discusses child deaths, suicide attempt, severe mental illness, postnatal psychosis and criminal court proceedings. Please take care while listening. You may wish to skip this episode, pause it, or listen with someone you trust if these topics are difficult for you.

Postnatal psychosis is rare but serious, and can develop suddenly in the days or weeks following birth. If you or someone you know is experiencing hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, severe confusion, extreme changes in mood or behaviour, prolonged inability to sleep, or thoughts of self-harm or harm to others, please seek urgent medical support.

Australian support

• PANDA — Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia: 1300 726 306
  Support for expecting and new parents, as well as partners, family and friends: PANDA panda.org
• Lifeline: 13 11 14
  Crisis support and suicide-prevention service: Lifeline Australia
• ForWhen: 1300 24 23 22
  Free mental-health navigation support for new and expecting parents: ForWhen

If there is an immediate risk to someone’s safety, call 000 or attend the nearest emergency department.