Isn’t that a scary thought? Had the doctors diagnosed this sick woman
correctly, maybe it could have been avoided. I know we all make
mistakes, but what a mistake this was. This is why it so important that
we as nurses do such a thorough assessment on our patients and their
medications. We are the patient’s last line of defense, and their
advocate. I found your post very interesting, so I did some research as
well. Through out the articles that I read, I did not read a single
thing about Andrea Yates being misdiagnosed. How is it possible that
we, as students, are able to see this major medication contraindication
and professional physicians were not? Isn’t that a scary thought?
Original Post:
May 28, 2009
Title: Medication Influences
I’m sure you remember the story of Andrea Yates, the woman who drowned
her five innocent children in 2001. I have never been able to fathom
how a woman/mother could drown her children in less than one hour in
their bathtub, so I decided to do my own research to try and
understand. Before the incident Andrea Yates was diagnosed as being
depressed and had tried to commit suicide twice before. She was under
therapy when given three anti-depressants (Effexor, Remeron, and
Remeron SolTab booster). As I was looking into the medications, I found
that many of the side effects these medications produce such as,
depersonalization and abnormal thinking, aided in her psychosis. Within
one year of her incarceration, doctors were able to correctly diagnose
her as being Bi-Polar/Manic depressive. Not only were these medications
producing psychotic side effects, more importantly, these medications
were contraindicated in patients that suffered from mania, bi-polar
disorders, and history of suicide attempts. So, in my research I have
come to the conclusion that Andrea Yates’ diagnosis should have been
further evaluated along with the many medications that her doctor had
prescribed.
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