08/13/2026
I've been following the Lindsay Clancy trial since day one, and it has been gut-wrenching to watch. I'll be honest, at first, I did not have any sympathy for her. But, I wanted to watch the trial, and hear the facts, before finalizing my viewpoint.
My mind has been changed and my heart breaks for her. The entire case is incredibly upsetting because three children's lives were lost. And, that loss could've been prevented if Lindsay had received the help she was desperately searching for.
What blew my mind was the utter disregard her psychiatrist, Jennifer Tufts - and the other mental health professionals - had for Lindsay's well-being. Jennifer Tufts advertised herself as a specialist in perinatal care, even though she was only practicing psychiatry for one month at the time Lindsay contacted her. And, she only helped post-partum women during her residency. She was not a specialist in pre and postpartum psychiatry by any means. By advertising herself as a perinatal specialist, she misled women into thinking she could genuinely help them, when she clearly didn't have the experience to do so. She didn't even use the correct depression scale on Lindsay; Dr. Tufts used the generic depression scale instead of the scale that is specifically designed to measure post-partum depression in women. I listened to that testimony and thought.....WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.
As a Doctor, you take an oath to help people and you are held to a higher standard. The fact that she was a young doctor, fresh out of residency, is NOT an excuse for her lack of knowledge. As they say in the legal world, "ignorance of the law is no excuse." And, ignorance in perinatal psychiatric care is no excuse, ESPECIALLY when you hold yourself out as a specialist in such area.
Not to mention, Doctor Tufts couldn't remember specifics when it came to Lindsay's care. First of all, you would think she would review her records prior to testifying. She knew about this trial for quite some time and she couldn't take an hour to review her notes?Also, she was unaware of what Lindsay's other doctors were prescribing her. Lindsay appeared to have a team of mental health professionals aiding in her care. But, Dr.Tufts knew about this and didn't find it necessary to follow up with any of them. Why? Because she didn't care enough.
Lindsay told Doctor Tufts about her dark thoughts, and there was nothing done, aside from adding another heavy-hitter psychiatric medication, or increasing the dosage. Dr. Tufts simply "checked the correct boxes" and rarely made clear, decipherable notes. Her nonchalance to Lindsay's rapidly deteriorating mental health was alarming to me. She was extremely robotic about her treatment of Lindsay. She treated Lindsay's mental health concerns with a cookie-cutter fix and didn't seem to care to learn about Lindsay as an individual.
Lindsay constantly asked for help. She walked into an inpatient facility at a perinatal clinic and WAS TURNED AWAY because she "didn't meet the criteria." I'll say that again, a post-partum mother, who repeatedly reported dark, intrusive thoughts about un-aliving herself (among other serious mental health issues and concerns over the course of time) was turned away by a clinic that was specifically designed to help someone like her. That is inexcusable.
Whenever you are post-partum, you are told to "reach out if you have any concerns", "call the office if you have any dark thoughts or mood changes." I'm only 4.5 months postpartum and I heard those sentiments from the medical professionals in the hospital after I had my daughter. And, despite hearing that, mothers are always hesitant to ask for help. Why? Because, in our minds, we should be able to handle it all. We worry that, maybe nobody will take us seriously. Maybe we will be shamed for expressing that we are struggling. There are a multitude of reasons why post-partum women don't express their struggles.
However, Lindsay DID ask for help. And nobody gave it to her. These medical professionals just loaded her up with strong psychiatric medication that seemed to only make her worse.
Now, post-partum women across the country will be even more hesitant to ask for help in the future. Woman's health, and post-partum care, need to be taken more seriously. I am incredibly disgusted with how those medical professionals treated Lindsay. Women's health, especially post-partum care, need to be properly addressed and medical professionals need to be trained better on the topic. Women deserve to be treated as individuals instead of just being treated as if they are on some sort-of post-partum mental health assembly line.
If anything results from this case, I hope it sheds light on how medical professionals need to do better in the future. We can only hope, and pray, that they do.
