Andrea Yates found not guilty by reason of insanity.

A jury found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her young children in the bathtub of their suburban home.

Yates will be committed to a state mental hospital, with periodic hearings before a judge to determine whether she should be released. If convicted, she would have faced life in prison.

It is hard to argue with a verdict like this. Most of us would have to assume that she was insane for us to have any hope of fathoming how she could have done such a terrible thing.

This part right here is what truly upsets me, she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, thought Satan was inside her and was trying to save them (her children) from hell.

As somebody who works in the mental health field I have to tell you how important it is for somebody who is suffering with this kind of mental illness to receive competent care as soon as possible. Her choice to seek help from the church is what, ultimately, doomed her children.

The church might be great place to seek support for your faith or to deal with the death of a loved one, but it is not the place to go when you have a real, treatable, mental illness.