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Police: Mother in murder-suicide may have had postpartum depression

An expert said this kind of tragedy can be avoided.

ST. LOUIS – There are new developments in the investigation into a murder-suicide in St. Louis Hills that left a mother, father and their baby girl dead.

A police source told 5 On Your Side the mother, Mary Jo Trokey, bought a gun the day before she killed her family and herself.

The source also said investigators are looking into whether Trokey may have had postpartum depression or psychosis.

One expert said this kind of tragedy can be avoided.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Diane Sanford, Ph.D. says postpartum depression is very common, affecting 1 in 7 mothers. It can leave a woman feeling sad, anxious and even detached from the baby or family. And symptoms can appear days or months after childbirth.

She said postpartum psychosis, while only affecting 1 in 1000 mothers, is far more serious. A mother may experience psychotic delusions and lose touch with reality. In extremely rare cases, a mother may become suicidal or violent toward her baby.

Dr. Sanford says women with postpartum psychosis need help immediately.

“Make certain you take her to the E.R. or take her to her doctor. Have her seen immediately because things deteriorate very rapidly,” she said.

Sanford said women who've experienced bipolar disorder, anxiety or depression are 15 times more vulnerable to postpartum depression or psychosis. But, with changes to a woman’s healthcare, these illnesses can be caught and treated.

“We need to be screening women during pregnancy. We need to be checking them for a spectrum of symptoms. And we need to start treating them preventatively so these bad things, really bad things don't occur,” she said.

Sanford said pediatricians, nurses and even family members should be trained to look for the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and psychosis. She also feels women who’ve experienced mental health issues should self-report those cases to their doctors.

“We have to be our own, best health advocates,” she said.

Sanford has authored four books and is working on a fifth that will focus on pregnancy and postpartum.

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