Chapter 13 - Valerie Is Evaluated
Valerie’s defense requested psychiatric evaluation.
Necessary.
A woman accused of trying to suffocate her infant required serious assessment.
The result was not a convenient diagnosis that erased responsibility.
She had depression.
Severe caregiver distress.
Long-standing perfectionistic and controlling traits.
Significant resentment associated with the disruption of her expected life after Leo’s diagnosis.
She did not meet criteria for psychosis at the time of the attack.
She understood the physical nature of what she was doing.
The evaluation also found intense shame around asking for help.
Why did that matter?
Because Valerie repeatedly insisted:
“I told everyone I was overwhelmed.”
She had.
But when support arrived, she rejected it.
She wanted people to solve her distress without entering the parts of her life she wanted hidden.
May you like
There is no safe form of help that guarantees nobody will observe you.
That was something she never accepted until too late.
