02/22/2026
When Postpartum Mental Health Is Missed
The tragedy in Yaounde is heartbreaking. A mother is alleged to have killed her three children and then taken her own life. A family is gone. A community is grieving. And in moments like this, people rush to label it evil, selfish, or monstrous.
But there is another lens that must be considered. Postpartum mental health.
Postpartum depression is widely discussed. Postpartum psychosis is not. It is rare, but when it occurs, it is a psychiatric emergency. It can involve severe mood swings, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations, confusion, and a break from reality. A mother experiencing postpartum psychosis may genuinely believe something distorted or frightening that feels completely real to her. Without immediate treatment, the condition can escalate quickly.
We do not yet know the full clinical details in this case. Reports mention marital tension and conflict. But intense stress, betrayal, isolation, sleep deprivation, and lack of support can significantly worsen underlying mental health vulnerabilities in the postpartum period. The early months after childbirth are biologically and psychologically delicate. Hormonal shifts are dramatic. Sleep disruption is constant. Identity changes are profound.
This is why mothers need a village.
Not just help with diapers. Real support. Emotional monitoring. People who check in and notice when something is off. Partners who understand that postpartum mental health is not weakness but medicine level serious. Faith leaders, extended family, neighbors, healthcare providers who recognize warning signs and intervene early.
When postpartum psychosis goes untreated, tragedy can follow. Not because a mother is inherently violent. But because her brain is unwell and reality becomes distorted.
We must resist reducing these stories to marital drama or character flaws. We must expand the conversation to include maternal mental health screening, culturally responsive psychiatric care, stigma reduction, and strong community networks. Especially in places where access to mental healthcare is limited or shame keeps women silent.
A mother’s mind in the postpartum period is not something to ignore. It requires watchfulness, compassion, and clinical attention when needed.
If we want to prevent tragedies like this, we have to build systems where mothers are not isolated, not dismissed, and not left to suffer in silence. A village is not a cliché. It is a protective factor.
She didn’t wake up one morning and become a monster.
She broke… slowly.
And nobody called it mental illness.
Now three children are gone.
A mother is gone.
And society is pretending to be shocked.
This happened in .
A woman allegedly ended the lives of her three children… and then her own.
And the internet is doing what it does best.
Blaming.
Dragging.
Judging.
Moving on.
But let me ask you something uncomfortable…
When last did we take mental health seriously in this part of the world?
We will spend money on asoebi.
We will build houses.
We will post matching family pictures.
We will shout God forbid at depression.
But therapy?
Counseling?
Psychological evaluation?
That one is for oyinbo people.
Neighbors said she had threatened to take her life before.
They said she was battling deep marital issues.
They said she was emotionally distressed.
So why did nobody intervene?
Why do we wait until bl00d is involved before we admit someone was drowning emotionally?
Let’s be honest.
Many women are walking around with silent breakdowns.
Smiling in church.
Posting family photos.
Cooking.
Attending weddings.
But inside?
Anger.
Betrayal.
Humiliation.
Exhaustion.
And sometimes… d@ngerous thoughts.
Not because they are evil.
Not because they are monsters.
But because untreated emotional trauma can distort reality.
Some people are saying she did it to punish her husband.
I don’t agree.
From the pattern of stories we hear too often, this looks like someone who felt trapped.
Someone who felt hopeless.
Someone who believed deeth was protection.
Someone who was mentally overwhelmed beyond reasoning.
That doesn’t justify the act.
It explains the d@nger of ignoring mental health.
In our society, a woman can cry for help for years and nobody calls it a mental health emergency.
They call her….
Overreacting
Too emotional
Ungrateful
Dramatic
Until one day… tragedy trends.
Not everyone knows how to process betrayal.
Not everyone has emotional regulation skills.
Not everyone has access to therapy.
Not everyone has a safe space to say, “I am not okay.”
And that is the problem.
We normalize cheating.
We normalize emotional abuse.
We normalize suffering.
But we stigmatize counseling.
Then we act shocked when breakdown becomes catastrophe.
This is not just about one woman in Yaoundé.
This is about a continent that chases status but neglects psychological safety.
We need safe environments.
We need affordable counseling.
We need churches and families that refer for therapy instead of just saying “pray about it.”
We need to stop mocking people who say they are tired.
Because untreated mental distress is not weakness.
It is a ticking bomb.
If you are emotionally overwhelmed right now, please talk to someone trusted around you immediately. Silence is d@ngerous.
Let this tragedy not just trend.
Let it wake us up.
I am De Wesley's
