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Psychiatry's Susan Hatters-Friedman talks about motives or parents who kill their children

Media | February 01, 2023 | Story by: Editorial Staff
How could a Duxbury mother allegedly kill her children? Experts say mental health can distort thinking.
Boston GlobeSusan Hatters-Friedman, the Phillip Resnick Professor of Forensic Psychiatry and an adjunct professor at the School of Law, said the motives for parents who kill their children fall into five categories: a young person with an unwanted pregnancy kills a newborn; years of abuse or neglect lead to a child’s death; a partner seeks revenge, often in the case of a relationship breakup; and two types of mental illness: “altruistic” and “acutely psychotic.”
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