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The Andhra Murders and The Mental Health Connection

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
February 2, 2021
  • Full Read
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The tragic killing of two young women in Andhra Pradesh by their highly educated parents shook the country last week. As days pass and the police probe continues, fresh revelations are coming to the fore about the murders of two sisters by their parents in Madanapalli in Chittor district of Andhra Pradesh. 

The accused parents have been identified as Purushotham, a vice-principal of a government college, and Padamja a gold medallist in mathematics.

Unfolding of events in the Andhra Murders case

Deeply spiritual people, the couple bludgeoned the daughters with dumbbells and Trishul as they wanted to “appease supernatural forces”. The couple was followers of Mehar Baba, Sai Baba, and Rajaneesh or Osho. They regularly used to visit Shirdi. 

The older daughter Alekhya was 27-years-old. She worked as a forest officer. She returned home during the coronavirus pandemic and was preparing for the civil services examination. The younger daughter Sai Divya was 23-years-old and had completed her post-graduation in business administration (MBA) and was pursuing a course in music.

chittoor sisters double murders
Sisters Alekhya and Sai Divya

According to neighbours and colleagues, Purushotham’s family was deeply superstitious. The family had remained isolated since the pandemic set in. Even domestic workers were not allowed inside the house. 

The couple murdered the older daughter after a puja and then killed the younger daughter. The mother felt that there was evil inside her younger daughter’s head and so she broke it open. Later the vice-principal called one of his co-workers and informed him about the murders who alerted the police. On arrival the police found the couple in a state of trance and told the police that their daughters would come alive after some time and to not interfere in the ritual.

While one would wonder how such educated people could fall prey to such superstitions and malpractices to the extent of murdering their own offsprings, mental health professionals believe that this is ‘a brain disease and can happen to anybody.’

“The delusional parents is what severe untreated mental illness, unfortunately, looks like sometimes”, says Psychiatrist Anirudh Kala.

“These are cases of what the French call Folie-deux or shared psychosis. In this case, probably the mother is the primary patient who has either Schizophrenia or Bipolar disorder with psychosis. Typically the person who ‘ catches’ the delusion secondarily is emotionally dependent on the ‘primary’ patient and starts sharing his/her world view.”

Shared psychotic disorder (Folie a deux) is an unusual mental disorder characterized by sharing a delusion among two or more people who are in a close relationship. The (inducer, primary) who has a psychotic disorder with delusions influences another individual or more (induced, secondary) with a specific belief. It commonly presents among two individuals, but in rare cases can include larger groups, i.e., family and called folie a famille.

Source

Insanity or unflinching devotion?

The social media posts of Alekhya suggested that she was attracted to Osho and his teachings. She also claimed that she brought her pet dog to life after killing it.

Social media posts of the deceased elder daughter Alekhya suggests that she was a big fan of late spiritual guru Osho and strongly believed in rebirth and salvation.

In some of her posts, Alekhya had described herself as an ‘Osho lover’ and a ‘dhyani’, according to a media report.

The girl’s other social media posts also give credibility to the theory that she went into a spiritual trance and believed in salvation which resulted in her and her sister’s murder by their parents. 

 ‘I Am Shiva’, Claims Andhra Parent Accused of Killing Daughters, appears delusional.

Where does one draw the line between superstition and religious/spiritual beliefs?

“The tragedy which destroyed a whole family was wholly avoidable if treatment had been instituted at any point in time”, says Dr. Anirudh. “Part of treatment is to separate the two delusional sharers. The ‘secondary’ patient recovers fast sometimes even without treatment. This seems to be already happening with the husband. Unfortunately the worst for the couple is yet to come when they recover and are hit by the enormous guilt over what they have done.”

Alas we still struggle with acceptance of mental illness and access to mental health treatments. Some religious beliefs are so deeply rooted in superstitions and blind faith over religious godmen that we cannot separate it from logic and fail to use our reasoning. But the religious aspect was only a part of it. The larger problem here was the delusion the parents suffered from. 

“In an ideal world they would be acquitted on grounds of mental illness but that is unlikely given the lack of sensitivity of the system and our archaic law about the culpability of the mentally ill. But in an ideal world, they would have been diagnosed and treated and none of it would have happened.”

andhra murderschittoor double murdermental healthmental illnessmental wellnessParental Problems

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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Infano Care

Pregnancy Blogs 2021: Getting Pregnant When You Have PCOS

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
August 24, 2021 | 02:59 PM |
1,369

Highlights

  • PCOS does not mean infertility.
  • The four types of PCOS.
  • Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar works wonders.
  • Stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance.
  • Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones.
  • Quick Read
  • Full Read

Pregnancy Blogs 2021: Types of PCOS

Different types of PCOS also have different symptoms – not all women with PCOS are overweight, or not everyone may get acne or facial hair. This may delay diagnosis and proper treatment. But irregular cycles and missing period affect all women with PCOS and is the most important symptom no matter which type of PCOS is present. To treat PCOS, you need to know the different types of PCOS and identify them. It is also possible that you may have more than 1 type of PCOS.

Inflammatory PCOS

Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar from my diets has worked wonders by controlling the inflammation in my body and also my blood sugar. I have stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance. Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones Seed cycling is the rotation of different edible seeds into the diet at different times in the menstrual cycle. Consuming this on a regular basis has helped me get my periods on track. Once my periods got regular, I have reduced PMS and cramps, and also the periods are shorter than my usual seven-day cycle. This is a great fix for hormone imbalance, PCOD, and menopause symptoms.

Insulin resistant PCOS

Insulin resistance means having high insulin. The best way to test for insulin resistance is to measure the hormone insulin (not glucose). The treatment of insulin-resistant PCOS is to reverse insulin resistance with diet, exercise, and supplements like magnesium and inositol.

Adrenal PCOS

If DHEA-S is high androgen this can indicate an adrenal type of PCOS.  DHEA-S is an adrenal androgen (testosterone is produced in the ovaries). Adrenal PCOS is not driven by insulin resistance or inflammation. Instead, it’s an abnormal response to stress. Treatments include stress reduction, magnesium, and vitamin B5.

Post-pill PCOS

When getting off birth control pills, you can experience a surge in androgens on called post-pill PCOS.  This is developed due to the pills which suppress ovulation. For most women, these effects do not last long and they resume ovulating after the effect of the pill is over. This can be treated with a healthy diet and lifestyle as well.

 

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As a part of our Pregnancy Blogs 2021, let’s talk about the difficulties couples can have with conception if the partner is suffering from PCOS.

PCOS does not mean infertility. Infertility itself is due to many reasons and PCOS is probably just one of them. But PCOS does not mean you cannot get pregnant. Many doctors are quick to prescribe birth control pills but frankly, this just ends up messing the entire hormone system and the period which you get with a pill is not even a real bleed.

I was diagnosed with PCOS in my teens and my gynecologist gave me hormone pills to induce my menstrual cycles. She told me it is not a problem unless you have difficulty in conception. Luckily, I had no difficulty conceiving my first child but after 3 years of my first baby, my periods suddenly stopped altogether. It had been ten months since I got my period. I had some spotting now and then but no bleeding.

A visit to my OB/GYN ran a series of tests. She told me my PCOS had flared and I may not able to conceive again. I was shocked because I never expected this. And I was put on treatment which included birth control pills to regularize periods, a medication called metformin to prevent diabetes, and exercise to stop weight gain. Luckily I had regular menstrual cycles in a few months and conceived my second baby naturally.

I have gone that road but then side effects started presenting- weight gain, bloating, fatigue, body pains, mood swings, period cramps, inflammation, and PMDD or Post Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (a type of PMS which causes depression). I didn’t want to get back on any hormone or birth control pills as they gave me a lot of breast pain and mood swings.

Today, my PCOS is in check. All it takes is to identify the type of PCOS that you are suffering from and learn to manage it and bring it under control with a lot of lifestyle changes and this is not a one-time thing. Natural ovulation and a healthy period is key to good fertility and this is what increases the chance of conception. So while on a PCOS journey, the aim should be to improve the overall hormone health, induce natural ovulation, and menstrual cycle.

Pregnancy Blogs 2021: Types of PCOS


There are 4 types of PCOS and knowing which type you have is important to choose the right management protocol. Each type of PCOS can be managed with the right treatments and lifestyle changes. Some of these treatments only work for some women some of the time.

  • types of pcos

Different types of PCOS also have different symptoms – not all women with PCOS are overweight, or not everyone may get acne or facial hair. This may delay diagnosis and proper treatment. But irregular cycles and missing period affect all women with PCOS and is the most important symptom no matter which type of PCOS is present. To treat PCOS, you need to know the different types of PCOS and identify them. It is also possible that you may have more than 1 type of PCOS.

Inflammatory PCOS

Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar from my diets has worked wonders by controlling the inflammation in my body and also my blood sugar. I have stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance. Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones Seed cycling is the rotation of different edible seeds into the diet at different times in the menstrual cycle. Consuming this on a regular basis has helped me get my periods on track. Once my periods got regular, I have reduced PMS and cramps, and also the periods are shorter than my usual seven-day cycle. This is a great fix for hormone imbalance, PCOD, and menopause symptoms.

Insulin resistant PCOS

Insulin resistance means having high insulin. The best way to test for insulin resistance is to measure the hormone insulin (not glucose). The treatment of insulin-resistant PCOS is to reverse insulin resistance with diet, exercise, and supplements like magnesium and inositol.

Adrenal PCOS

If DHEA-S is high androgen this can indicate an adrenal type of PCOS.  DHEA-S is an adrenal androgen (testosterone is produced in the ovaries). Adrenal PCOS is not driven by insulin resistance or inflammation. Instead, it’s an abnormal response to stress. Treatments include stress reduction, magnesium, and vitamin B5.

Post-pill PCOS

When getting off birth control pills, you can experience a surge in androgens on called post-pill PCOS.  This is developed due to the pills which suppress ovulation. For most women, these effects do not last long and they resume ovulating after the effect of the pill is over. This can be treated with a healthy diet and lifestyle as well.

I had Insulin resistant PCOS. Exercising regularly, eliminating gluten and sugar from my diets has worked wonders by controlling the inflammation in my body and also my blood sugar. I have stopped using paraben, sulfate-loaded cosmetic, bath, and cleaning products as they disrupt the endocrine glands causing hormone imbalance. Seed cycling is another tool for getting your cycle back on track, balancing your hormones. Seed cycling is the rotation of different edible seeds into the diet at different times in the menstrual cycle. Consuming this on a regular basis has helped me get my periods on track. Once my periods got regular, I have reduced PMS and cramps, and also the periods are shorter than my usual seven-day cycle. This is a great fix for hormone imbalance, PCOD, and menopause symptoms.

Medical Treatments For PCOS

  • Medications: Doctor might prescribe medicine to help with ovulation.
  • In vitro fertilization (IVF) may be an option if medicine does not work. IVF has higher pregnancy rates
  • Surgery: Surgery is done only when the other options do not work. The outer shell (called the cortex) of ovaries is thickened in women with PCOS and thought to play a role in preventing spontaneous ovulation. Ovarian drilling is a surgery in which the doctor makes a few holes in the surface of your ovary using lasers or a fine needle heated with electricity. Surgery usually restores ovulation, but only for 6 to 8 months. Source: womenshealth.gov

To read more Pregnancy Blogs 2021 by Infano click here.

PCODplanning a pregnancypregnancypregnancy blogs

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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