Russell Yates Talks about Andrea and Her Illness

[Guest guest]

Russell Yates Talks about Andrea and Her Illness

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_2002/tows_past_20020320_c.j

html

 

Oprah: How is Andrea?

 

Russell: I think she was a bit relieved to have a verdict, to have a

sentence. I think she's in a very fragile, confused state right now.

She's ordinarily a very sensitive, caring person, and it's very,

very difficult.

 

Oprah: Does she comprehend what she has done?

 

Russell: I think so. I think she knows that the children have

passed, and that it was by her hands.

 

Oprah: Has she spoken to you about what she did?

 

Russell: One day, she was talking to me about some of the psychotic

thoughts she had, and I didn't even really want to hear it. It'll

never make any sense…the things she was hearing at the time, seeing

at the time.

 

It's irrational behavior.

 

Oprah: I've interviewed lots of people over the years who have had

tragic things happen to them. And usually the number one question a

person has is 'Why?' Are you five times 'Why?'

 

Russell: That's the first thing I asked: 'How could you do this? I

don't understand.' I asked it over and over again in my yard, but

once I understood, I didn't need to know the specifics of it.

 

I know

that she was psychotic…she'll never be able to reconcile what she

was thinking with what she did.

 

It will never make any rational

sense, and that's something she's going to struggle with for the

rest of her life.

 

Oprah: You realize she was mentally ill?

 

Russell: Definitely. When we went through this in 1999, we didn't

know what we were dealing with. But, fortunately, at least the

second doctor we went to did, and she successfully treated Andrea.

 

It was almost the opposite in 2001, because we knew she was sick,

but the doctors didn't.

 

They didn't treat her.

 

Oprah: Was there any time that anybody suspected that she could

cause harm to herself or the children?

 

Russell: I would say that, obviously, since she attempted suicide in

1999, we should have thought maybe she could harm herself. She never

gave any indication at all…no one could ever imagine that she could

harm the children. It was just shocking. Unimaginable. … I became so

concerned about Andrea, and just so frustrated. I don't think people

realize how difficult it is to care for a mentally ill person. It's

very, very draining. I cared for those children around the clock for

three weeks [while Andrea was in the hospital], and it was much

easier than caring for them while Andrea was home.

 

Oprah: You were saying the doctors pumped her up with anti-

depressants?

 

Russell: They didn't recognize her psychosis or treat it, and when

they took Andrea off anti-psychotic medicine on June 4, she improved

a little bit and was fine.

 

The thing is, the doctor left her on what was a triple-max dosage

of anti-depressants, which is really counter-indicated for

psychosis. If she'd been on no medication, she would have been in a

catatonic state.

 

Since she was on a triple-max dose, which is essentially an overdose

of anti-depressants, it gave her the energy to act on her psychotic

thoughts.

 

Oprah: What about the people who say you are equally to blame for

what has happened?

 

Russell:That's outrageous. The responsibility of Andrea was to do

the best she could: to take her medicine, to shower, to try to eat…

my mom's responsibility was to make sure she got medical treatment

and help out at home.

 

It's the doctors who diagnose her illness, who

treat her illness and who " protect " our family.

 

We, as just ordinary people, can't recognize psychosis.