Andrea Pia
Running head: ANDREA PIA YATES
Andrea Pia Yates:
The Biopsychosocial Model
Janet B. Delph
Abnormal Psychology, 33 I 8
University of Texas at Arlington
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Yates I
Andrea Pia Yates 2
Andrea Pia Yates:
The Biopsychosocial Model
Introduction
It was on the morning of June 20,2001when Andrea Pia Yates drowned all five of
her children (Roche, 2002). Prior to this, she had received diagnoses of major depressive
disorder-single episode, severe, major depressive disorder-recurrent with psychotic
features (O'Malley, 2004, p.
xvii), post partum depression (O'Malley, 2004,p. xviii) and
post partum psychosis (O'Malley, 2004,p. 39). During her trial, which found her guilty
on two counts of capital murder and sentenced her to life in prisonl, various expert
witnesses went on to diagnose her
with schizophrenia (O'Malley,2004,p. 134),
schizoaffective disorder (O'Malley,2004),p.175), and later, bipolar disorder (O'Malley,
2004,p.230).
The biopsychosocial model will be used here to form a complex profile of Andrea
Yates that
will contribute to her diagnosis. This model will
demonstrate how thoughts,
feelings, and actions influence the biology of the brain and how normal and abnormal
behavior is a product of biological, psychological and social factors constantly
influencing each other. (Durand & Barlow, 2006,p.29).
Biopsychosocial Model
Biological Factors
Andrea had her first bout of depressionat24 (O'Malley, 2004,p.28), but her severe
mental illness began later after the birth of her first son with a visual hallucination of a
knife stabbing someone (O'Malley,2004, pp. 81-82). After the birth of her second child,
she had a miscarriage
(O'Malley,2004, p. 84), After her fourth pregnancy, she had a
Andrea Pia Yates 3
nervous breakdown (O'Malley, 2004,p. 33). She soon began feeling that Satan was
telling her to hurt her children (O'Malley, 2004, pp. 85-86). Spencer noted that Andrea's
psychiatrist had told Andrea and her husband that any subsequent pregnancies
"guarantee[d] future psychotic depression". Six months after this warning, Andrea was
pregnant with her fifth child. (as cited in Anonymous, 2003 pp.66-67). Andrea gave birth
to 5 children within 7 years (West & Lichtenstein,2006, p. 180).
Andrea was in the habit of faking the swallowing of her medication (Roche, 2002)
and flushing her antipsychotic medication down the toilet (O'Malley, 2004, p. 176). She
overdosed on Trazodone in a suicide attempt and consequently lost 10 lbs in less than
three weeks and became greatly fatigued (O'Malley, 2004,p. 34). After she had her
fifth
child, she sometimes slept only I -2 hours a night (O'Malley, 2004, p. 46). Spencer stated
that Andrea received HaldoVCogentin injections which alleviated her symptoms, but she
stopped taking these because of insurance complications (As cited in Anonymous, 2003
p.67).
A genetic predisposition to mental illness was an additional hurdle for her. One
sibling is bipolar, and her other two siblings were treated for depression. When her father
was living, he sufFered from depression as well (Roche,2002). Two of Andrea's siblings
also had drinking problems at one time
(O'Malley,2004,p.27).In addition, Andrea
was
known to be bulimic in her teenage years and after the birth of her frffh child (O'Malley,
2004,p.78).
A perinatal psychiatrist insisted that Yates was misdiagnosed with depression with
psychotic features that led to Andrea being treated with antidepressants, worsening her
state
(O'Malley, 2004,pp.234-235). The Remeron and Effexor combination called
Andrea Pia Yates 4
"Rocket Fuel" had the ability to jettison Andrea into a manic state that apparently gave
her incredible strength allowing her to quickly drown her children (O'Malley,2004,p.
235). When someone with bipolar I gets depressed after childbirth, increased cortisol
levels and other hormonal changes can ignite avery precarious illness with psychotic
symptoms (O'Malley,
2004,p.8$. Fortunately, after Andrea
was incarcerated, she was
given Lithium and greatly improved (O'Malley 2004,p.255).
Psychological Factors
Andrea was tormented by guilt. She felt guilt about having lived with her husband,
R.rrty, before their marriage (O'Malley,2004, p. 30). She also felt guilty after attempting
suicide, because she realized that she needed to live in order to take care of her family
(Roche, 2002). Spencer added that she felt guilty because she thought her children were
acting detached as a result of her being gone so long in inpatient and day treatnent care
(as cited in Anonymous, 2003, p. 66). She blamed herself for her father's death, believing
she could have prolonged his
life since
she was a nurse
(O'Malley, 2004,p. 44). After his
death, she stopped homeschooling, which caused her to feel that the children were
"tainted and might be retarded" (O'Malley,2004,p.77) and that they were not being
raised properly
(O'Malley, 2A04,p. lS7). She expressed that
she was a "bad mother" and
o'hopelessly damaged" (West & Lichtenstein,2006, pp. 180-181).
that her children were
Everyday life became cumbersome for her. Spencer noted that she experienced the
stress of homeschooling and wanting more children (as cited in
Anonymous,2003,p.
66). For a while, the Yates famity lived in a bus and the crowded living conditions
increased her stress (O'Malley, 2004, p.
86).At this point,
she felt that she had failed at
Andrea Pia Yates 5
achieving a home life on the bus (Roche, 2002). She felt overwhelmed from the daily
grind of all her motherly duties (West & Lichtenstein,2006, p. 181).
Her belief system ranged from the commonplace to the bizarre. She clung to the
concept of the ideal mother. Considering she was struggling with mental illness, this set
her up for disaster (West & Lichtenstein,2006,p. 181). She regarded her husband, Rusty,
to be "controlling and manipulative" (Roche,2002).It is possible that she felt she had
virtually no say in how many children they had since Rusty wanted "as many children
God would
as
allod'(Bamet! 2005,p.21). Andrea felt extremely inadequate (West &
Lichtenstein,2006,p. 1S0) and she obsessed about how her children would turn out. She
did not want to fail at her job as a mother (O'Malley,2004, p. 39). Her religious beliefs
included the existence of demons and their ability to possess possess. Although this belief
system is shared by many people
(O'Malley, 2004,p. 169), she had the religious delusion
that she actually was Satan (O'Malley, 2004,p.75). At one time when she felt she was
possessed, she believed she was having thoughts that she could possibly hurt someone
(O'Malley, 2004,p.43).
She also experienced referential delusions, thinking her
television was speaking directly to her (O'Malley, 2004, p' 199).
Andrea also had specific individual character traits that contributed to her illness.
Spencer commented that Andrea felt anxiety (as cited in Anonymous,2003, p. 63) and
experienced loneliness (as cited in Anonymous,2003, p. 61).As she was growing up, she
felt like a "mistake" because there was such an age gap between she and her siblings, and
she also
felt like the "forgotten baby," being the last child (O'Malley,2004,pp.2a8-249).
She wanted to please her parents so much as a
child. She became someone who was not
fond of confrontation or arguments (Roche, 2002). Although Andrea was shy and
Andrea Pia Yates 6
studious as a teenager, she was a competitive swimmer, high school valedictorian, and
later a nurse (O'Malley, 2004, p. 28).
Sociological Factors
Andrea had a strict Catholic father and a serious German mother. There w:rs more
criticism ttran encouragement in her younger years (O'Malley, 20A4, p. 248). Her
husband commented that as Andrea was growing up, she was "not allowed to have any
needs" (O'Malley, 2004, p.28).
Andrea was responsible for the care, homeschooling and religious training of her
children and had relatively little support (West & Lichtenstein,2006, p. 180). She also
had psychological problems that'\^/ere unrecognized by her family, untreated by her
doctors and misunderstood by the legal system" (Barnett, 2005,p.22).
Gesalman reported that her husband, Rusty, admitted that he did not
how seriously
ill
she was (as cited
fully appreciate
in Anonymous, 2003, p. 73)). After the murders,
public opinion supported the claim that he had not sought the treafrnent she really needed
(Barnett, 2005,p. l7). He admitted the regret of not having joined a church for her sake.
She would have then had a social environment that would have provided a support
structure and taken her out of isolation (O'Malley, 2004,p.67). He felt that he should
have also pushed her to go back to work after having the children so she could have had a
separate role other than the one of motherhood (O'Malley, 20A4,
p.2a$. Although Rusty
was viewed as a generally good person, he was viewed as a focused computer
progftunmer who was unaware of how serious his wife's condition had become.
(O'Malley, 2004, p. 179). Spencer wrote that he did not help Andrea out around the
house enough (as cited in Anonymous,2003, p. 65). He was a strict evangelical
Andrea Pia Yates 7
Methodist (West and Lichtenstein,2006, p. 180) and had a controlling personality
(Roche, 2A0D. Andrea had one close friend for 17 years (O'Malley, 2004,p.42), and she
was "the only friend allowed to visit" Andrea (Roche, 2002). Bernstein and Garcia stated
that Rusty did eventually move the family from the crowded bus and into a nice three
bedroom home (as cited in Anonymous, 2003, p. 66). The new home seemed to motivate
her to do more with and for the children and get her back into swimming,
as she had given up exercise and socializing
with friends three years before--{uring her
second pregnancy (Roche, 2002).
The medical community also did not provide the care they should have (Barnett,
2005,p. l7). Andrea was discharged from
a delusional state and experiencing
a
psychiatric hospital even while still being in
avolition (Barrett, 2005, p. l8). She was placed in
group therapy sessions for substance abuse instead of depression (O'Malley,2004, p. 55).
One doctor failed to get Andrea's records from another doctor after having treated her
for
six weeks (O'Malley, 2004,p. 54).
Pastor Woronieki, Rusty's old spiritual mentor, wrote to Andrea that "the role of a
woman is derived...from the sin of Eve and that bad children come from bad mothers"
(Roche, 2002).In fact, the Yates kept Woroniecki's radical publication, Perilous Times,
in their home. It was filled with legalistic religious references that she could apply to
herself; compounding her religious delusions (O'Malley, 2004,p. 172). Woronieki had
her believing that
if her children were not "saved" by the age of thirteen of fourteen, they
were "most certainly damned" (West & Lichtenstein,20A6,p. 180).
Finally, the time of her arrest provided incredible stress for her. She had killed all five
of her children, been arrested and handcuffed, separated from her family, and stripped
Andrea Pia Yates 8
naked and put on suicide watch. In addition, she had suddenly been taken off Haldol two
weeks prior to her arrest and her doctor made major dosage changes to her prescriptions
two days before the killings (O'Malley, 2004, p. 182). During her trial, 9/l I occurred
which may or may not have affected her.
The biological, psychological
*0":"^',:::tof
someone's life integrate to form a
more complete picture of what contributes to their mental state. These three components,
having both positive and negative elements, interact in a very complex way.
There is no question that psychological disorders are associated with altered
neurotransmitter activity and other aspects of brain function (a chemical imbalance).
But. ...a 'chemical imbalance' could, in furn, be caused by psychological or social
factors such as stress, strong emotional reactions, diffrcult family interactions,
changes caused by aging or, most likely, some interaction of all these factors.
(Durand & Barlow, 2006,p. 69).
There is no doubt that Andrea experienced stressors from a physically overburdened
body (West & Lichtenstein, 2006, p. 165), but her illness was exacerbated by
"psychosocial stressors, such as a lack of patemal support, a strict evangelical religious
background, a feeling of personal inadequacy and a sense of conflict between society's
maternalism and her personal failures (West & Lichtenstein,2006, pp. 173-174).
Andrea Pia Yates 9
References
Anonymous. (2003). Who is andrea yates? A short story about insanity. Duke Journal
Gender Low and & Policy 10
of
(l). Retrieved from
http ://docstoc.com/docs/ I 04475 5/Andrea-Yates
Barneff, B. (2005). Perfect mother or artist of obscenity? Narrative and myth in a
qualitative analysis of press coverage of the andrea yates murders. Journal
Communication Inquiry, 2 9, 9-29. doi: I 0. I
17 7
of
1019685990427 0A53
Durand, M.V., & Barlow, D. H. (2006) Essentials of abnormal psychologt (4e ed.).
Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.
O'Malley, S. (2004).
o'Are
you there alone?". New York: Simon &Shuster.
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (OWL) (September, 30,2008). APA Formatting
Style Guide. Retrieved October, 25,2008,from
http://owl.english.purdue.edr"r/reso
urcel 560 I 0 I I
Roche, T. QA0D. Andrea Yates. Retrieved September, 28, 2008, from
http ://www.freethou ghtfi refi ghters.org/andrea_vates.htm
West, D. A., & Lichtenstein, B. (2006). Andrea Yates and the ciminaliz-ation of the
filicidal maternal body. Feminist Criminologt,
l0.t
t7 7 / t 5 s7 085 t06288 863
l,
173-187). doi:
Andrea Pia Yates
Footnote
t
In July 2006, aTexas jury ruled Yates to be not guilry by reason of insanity.
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