WorldJurrors are deliberating in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts woman charged with murdering her three children. Clancy's lawyers say she's not criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. At rallies outside the courthouse and in the discourse happening online, a similar message emerged: new moms need help, and they aren't getting it.Jurors began deliberations Thursday in case where defence blames postpartum psychosisNatalie Stechyson · CBC News · Posted: Aug 28, 2026 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 7 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Lindsay Clancy sits at the defence table Thursday during her murder trial in Plymouth, Mass. Clancy's lawyers don't dispute that she killed her three children but argue she isn't criminally responsible because she had bipolar disorder and suffered from postpartum psychosis. (Greg Derr/Pool The Patriot Ledge/The Associated Press)WARNING: This article contains details about violence against children and suicide. Outside the Massachusetts courtroom where Lindsay Clancy is on trial in connection with the deaths of her three children — she doesn't deny that she killed them, but jurors must decide if she's criminally responsible — Clancy's supporters have gathered again.On Thursday, ahead of the closing arguments, they were again dressed in pink. Once again, they were mostly women. And just like during their previous gatherings and in the discourse happening online, a similar message emerged: new moms need help, and they aren't getting it."As a physician myself, I’ve been on both sides of this coin when women are dismissed for our concerns, and it’s not fair," supporter Marta Quijano told The Associated Press outside the Plymouth County Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass., Thursday.What to know about the trial of Lindsay Clancy, woman accused of killing her 3 children"I don’t think people really understand unless they’ve been through it," said Danielle Buckley, who drove five hours from Maine to watch the closing arguments. "They just want to see her be punished for what happened to her children." Aimee Breault of Acushnet, Mass., livestreams a demonstration Thursday in support of Clancy outside the Plymouth Superior Court where she's on trial. (Josh Reynolds/The Associated Press)Clancy, 36, is accused of killing her three children in 2023 while her then-husband was running an errand. Jurors have heard that Clancy strangled Cora, 5; Dawson, 3; and eight-month-old Callan with exercise bands in the basement of their home in the Boston suburb of Duxbury. She then attempted to take her own life by jumping out of a second-floor window, which left her paralyzed.Clancy's defence doesn't dispute the killings. But they argue she isn't criminally responsible because she had bipolar disorder and was suffering from postpartum psychosis, a rare and little-understood mental health condition that can affect a new mom's sense of reality. Prosecutors argue Clancy is guilty of three counts of first-degree murder, because she plotted to get her husband out of the house so she could carry out the killings. On Thursday, after lawyers finished their closing arguments in the month-long trial, jurors started their deliberations. If convicted, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If she's found not guilty due to lack of criminal responsibility, or by reason of insanity, she would be committed to a state psychiatric hospital. WATCH | Trial puts spotlight on maternal mental health:The Lindsay Clancy trial and maternal mental healthAugust 24|Duration 2:13The trial of Massachusetts mother Lindsay Clancy has put a spotlight on maternal mental health, which some medical experts say may be the only positive outcome in the tragic case. Her legal team argues that she shouldn't be held criminally responsible for the murder of her three children because she was suffering from bipolar disorder and postpartum psychosis.'I am Lindsay Clancy'Court heard that Clancy suffered from hallucinations and delusions that started after her third child was born. On the day of the killings, Clancy said she heard a voice telling her, "This is your last chance. Kill the children so you can kill yourself," according to her lawyer during opening arguments.In addition to the courthouse rallies, there's been a massive wave of online empathy. On social media, people have been sharing their own experiences with trying to get mental health support after childbirth. Some have posted statements like, "I am Lindsay Clancy." Others have posted photos of themselves during times of struggle along with the words, "same, Lindsay.""No matter what we say, nothing useful happens. Many of us lie, fearful of having our kids taken. Those of us who tell the truth are usually met with some combination of stigma, dismissal, and blame — rarely any meaningful support," Zawn Villines wrote on Substack Thursday.What is postpartum psychosis, the illness at the centre of Lindsay Clancy's murder trial?Testimony concludes in trial of U.S. mother accused of killing her 3 children"This Lindsay Clancy trial has hit me so viscerally, and it’s so close to home," Liz Cadeaux said in a tearful TikTok video where she urged other moms having a hard time to seek help.Conversely, there's also been backlash against the social media campaigns, and opinion pieces and columns that question how so many mothers can possibly sympathize with a woman who killed her children.Dr. Crystal Clark, the head of psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, says she thinks people are resonating with the trial, but not because they identify with Clancy's final actions."They resonate with the suffering, the help-seeking, the distress and despair she was experiencing prior to that, that they recognize in themselves," Clark, also the Canada Research Chair in reproductive mental health, told CBC News.Because of the overall increased awareness of mental conditions like postpartum depression, Clark says more people are able to identify and name what they have experienced. And that can include not feeling heard."Not being heard is very scary."WATCH | Closing arguments in Lindsay Clancy's murder trial:Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial hears closing argumentsAugust 27|Duration 5:31Jury deliberations have begun for the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three children. Prosecutors say she intentionally killed them, while the defence argues she was suffering from postpartum psychosis.More support needed: psychiatristJurors have heard that Clancy was prescribed 13 different psychiatric medications across different providers, and her attorneys say Clancy did everything she could to seek help, including going to the emergency room, calling a suicide hotline and checking herself into a psychiatric hospital. The trial is triggering for many women, who have a long history of having their health and mental health concerns dismissed or misinterpreted, psychotherapist Kaytee Gillis recently wrote in Psychology Today. "It touches something many women already know intimately: the feeling of asking for help and being unable to find it," Gillis wrote. A poster sits on the floor in a corner near Lindsay Clancy during her murder trial Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026 in Plymouth, Mass. (John Tlumacki/Pool The Boston Globe/The Associated Press)In Canada, postpartum depression and anxiety affect almost one-quarter of mothers who recently gave birth, according to 2019 Statistics Canada data. Postpartum psychosis — the sudden onset of psychotic symptoms after childbirth — is much more serious. Researchers estimate that the condition afflicts one to two women per 1,000 after delivery. Clark, with Women’s College Hospital, says she doesn't believe new moms are getting enough support during what can be a very vulnerable and scary time. More needs to be done to identify when moms are suffering and need help, and to provide early intervention, she says.While the trial has raised awareness of postpartum psychosis, Clark says she's worried about increasing stigma. For instance, Clark says she's seen an uptick in the number of patients worrying about whether they could be at risk of killing their children, even though it's an extremely rare outcome of a rare postpartum mental illness.According to a 2024 research paper published in the Archives of Women's Mental Health, untreated postpartum psychosis is associated with an infanticide rate of about four per cent."Postpartum depression, postpartum anxiety and postpartum OCD are not associated with postpartum psychosis. It is very unlikely that those illnesses will lead to infanticide," Clark said.Deliberations in Clancy's trial will resume Friday at 9 a.m. ET.If you or someone you know is struggling, here's where to look for help:Canada's Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call or text 988.Provincial and territorialmental health support.Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868. Text 686868. Live chat counselling onthe website.This guide from theCentre for Addiction and Mental Healthoutlines how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about.ABOUT THE AUTHORNatalie Stechyson has been a writer and editor at CBC News since 2021. She covers stories on social trends, families, gender, human interest, as well as general news. She's worked as a journalist since 2009, with stints at the Globe and Mail and Postmedia News, among others. Before joining CBC News, she was the parents editor at HuffPost Canada, where she won a silver Canadian Online Publishing Award for her work on pregnancy loss. You can reach her at natalie.stechyson@cbc.ca.XInstagramWith files from the Associated Press