re: #279 Vicious Babushka

One of my first thoughts after I found out she wasn’t armed and she had a young child was PPD. I’d bet she had a panic attack and just freaked the hell out. She picked the absolute worst place to do that, sadly. This is the saddest thing, it made me cry. I just wish they hadn’t killed her, obviously. She lost her way, she didn’t want to hurt anyone. I wonder if she just got in the car and took off because, well, it seemed like a good idea. Panic attacks are horrifying if you’ve never had one. Having one while driving? I can’t even.

I had PPD after my son was born, it went undiagnosed and untreated for 3 yrs. I was lucky, it never went beyond anxiety and crying jags. There’s also a more severe form of this, post-partum psychosis, I wonder if that was in play here. My mother had the severe kind after I was born, so bad that my dad’s parents had to take over my care. Back then of course there was not a real treatment for this beyond sedation and a pat on the head. She couldn’t even hold me or look at me for the first few months after I was born. Other family dynamics were in play here too(long story-her own family was a freak show mess), but she’ll admit to this day she was so out of it and anxious she barely remembers my infancy.