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Deaths of Massachusetts children spark discussion on maternal mental health

Deaths of Massachusetts children spark discussion on maternal mental health
ARIEL. HOW IS THE COMMUNITY REACTED TO THIS NEWS? JEN MONICA, THIS TRAGEDY HAS JUST SHOCKED SO MANY PEOPLE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. THAT WOMAN’S THREE CHILDREN WERE DISCOVERED INSIDE THEIR FAMILY HOME IN DUXBURY ON TUESDAY. A FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL AND A THREE YEAR OLD BOY WERE BOTH FOUND STRANGLED TO DEATH. AND AN EIGHT MONTH OLD BABY WAS FLOWN TO A BOSTON AREA HOSPITAL WITH TRAUMATIC INJURIES. INVESTIGATORS SAY THAT MOTHER, WHO WAS IDENTIFIED AS 32 YEAR OLD LINDSAY CLANCY, HAD ALSO ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. AGAIN, WHILE A MOTIVE HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED. IT HAS PEOPLE DISCUSSING MENTAL HEALTH CRISES. ONE ADVOCATE WE SPOKE WITH, HEATHER MARTIN, LOST HER SISTER, JENNIFER, IN 2009 TO MATERNAL SUICIDE, AND SHE’S NOW WORKING TO HELP OTHERS IDENTIFY THE SIGNS OF POSTPARTUM STRUGGLES. THEY REALLY WILL OPEN UP TO YOU IF YOU ASK THEM, NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE. HOW ARE YOU FEELING EMOTIONALLY? A LOT OF WOMEN WILL OPEN UP TO YOU IF YOU ASK THEM MORE THAN ONCE. AND THAT THE BIGGEST THING IS THERE IS HELP FOR OUR MOTHERS. THERE IS HELP. AND IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE IS STRUGGLING AND YOU CAN GET HELP TO 4 HOURS A DAY BY CALLING THE SUICIDE LIFELINE AT NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT. LI
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Deaths of Massachusetts children spark discussion on maternal mental health
The arrest of a Massachusetts woman after two of her children were found dead has sparked a conversation about maternal mental health.Police said three children were discovered on Tuesday, inside their family home, in Duxbury. A 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy were strangled to death, and an 8-month-old baby was flown to a Boston-area hospital with traumatic injuries, according to investigators.Their mother, who was later identified as Lindsay Clancy, 32, had attempted suicide, police said.A motive has not been identified, but the deaths has sparked a conversation about maternal mental health. Heather Martin, a maternal mental health advocate and pediatric medical assistant at Dartmouth Health, has been pushing for change since she lost her sister to maternal suicide in 2009. She implemented a mental health screening process in her office, and she has also pushed for changes on the national level through advocacy."The biggest thing is there is help for our mothers it just recognizing and breaking the stigma, no shame for mothers that are feeling like this," Martin said. "The more that we share our stories, the more we can break the stigma and break the cycle of fear that these mothers have by speaking out about these feelings that they're having." If you or a loved one is struggling, you can get help 24 hours a day by calling the Suicide Lifeline at 988.

The arrest of a Massachusetts woman after two of her children were found dead has sparked a conversation about maternal mental health.

Police said three children were discovered on Tuesday, inside their family home, in Duxbury. A 5-year-old girl and 3-year-old boy were strangled to death, and an 8-month-old baby was flown to a Boston-area hospital with traumatic injuries, according to investigators.

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Their mother, who was later identified as Lindsay Clancy, 32, had attempted suicide, police said.

A motive has not been identified, but the deaths has sparked a conversation about maternal mental health.

Heather Martin, a maternal mental health advocate and pediatric medical assistant at Dartmouth Health, has been pushing for change since she lost her sister to maternal suicide in 2009.

She implemented a mental health screening process in her office, and she has also pushed for changes on the national level through advocacy.

"The biggest thing is there is help for our mothers it just recognizing and breaking the stigma, no shame for mothers that are feeling like this," Martin said. "The more that we share our stories, the more we can break the stigma and break the cycle of fear that these mothers have by speaking out about these feelings that they're having."

If you or a loved one is struggling, you can get help 24 hours a day by calling the Suicide Lifeline at 988.