Andrea Yates State Of Being Mentally Insane

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Insanity seems to be the question in the courtroom today. What defines if a person is mentally stable or if he is sick? The government and court system has been trying to find the definite line, but there are still varying beliefs for and against whether people should be allowed to plead insanity. The definition of insanity is, “the state of being mentally ill; madness” (Oxford Dictionary). The definition of mentally ill is “psychiatric disorder that results in a disruption in a person’s thinking, feeling, moods, and ability to relate to others” (worldiQ.com). That being said, ponder these two situations. Andrea Yates, a nurse and mother, drowned her five children--Noah, 7; John, 5; Paul, 3; Luke, 2; and Mary, 6 months--one at a time in their family bathtub on June 20, 2001. In 2002, she was sentenced to life in prison, but due to testimony from a prosecution medical expert, she was granted a new trial by a court of appeals. After twelve men and women debated the case for 13 hours over three days, they said Yates did not know her actions were wrong when she drowned her children ("Andrea Yates Case”). In order to prove to the jurors that Yates was mentally ill, testimonies that demonstrated her illness, depression, hospitalization records, and suicide attempts …show more content…

However, I do feel we should continue research to find cures/treatments for the mentally impaired. Research has already made advancements by finding different hormones that are associated with different disorders (serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, etc.), different types of therapies (cognitive behavioral, exposure, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), and medicines (antidepressants) to help stabilize the effects of disorders. The advancements could stop crimes from happening and save

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