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and a million ways
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The Unthinkable Act:
Psychology Behind Maternal Filicide
Suchana Seth , CEO of artificial intelligence start-up Mindful AI Lab,
Suchana Seth, CEO of artificial intelligence start-up Mindful AI Lab, was arrested in Karnataka's Chitradurga with her son's body in a bag.
A preliminary examination of the child's body - which had been stored at a morgue in a Karnataka government hospital - indicated he had been smothered with a pillow and died of suffocation.
Bengaluru CEO made son drink cough syrup before killing him: Cops
The sources said Seth is under the care of a psychiatrist, purportedly to study her mental condition. She is likely to undergo some tests soon.
Suchana Seth - the Bengaluru-based AI data scientist accused of murdering her four-year-old son at a hotel in north Goa - filed domestic violence charges against PR Venkat Raman, her husband and the child's father.
in August last year, according to court documents, The father had denied the allegations
The court was scheduled to hear the matter next on January 29.
Suchana Seth and her husband, Venkat Raman, were wed in 2010.
Ms Seth and her husband - the two are in the final stages of their divorce, cops said - were believed to have been fighting over visitation rights, and the child may have been killed because the mother was upset after a court granted the father visitation every Sunday, a senior Goa cop told news agency ANI.
During interrogation, Suchana told police that her relationship with her husband remained strained and that she was unhappy over a court order.
The crime unravelled when the staff of the apartment spotted blood stains in the room from where Suchana Dalal had checked out yesterday.
They informed the Goa police, who called the taxi driver and asked to speak to her. When she was asked about her son, she claimed he was with a friend and gave an address, which turned out to be fake.
The police then called the driver again and asked him to divert the cab to the nearest police station in Chitradurga.
WHY A MOTHER DID THIS?
Though nothing marks as an excuse for the heinous crime, the woman said that under pressure and driven by the desire to stop her ex-husband from seeing their son, she took the kid to Goa and allegedly killed him. Certain psychiatric conditions do increase a person’s risk of committing a crime but experts say poor mental health cannot be used as a shield
Chronic stress can lead to actions that are way out of line.
Chronic stress can lead to heinous crimes
Dr Rustogi shared, “Chronic stress disturbs the balance of the mind and degrade the decision making power of an individual. Several studies have proven that stress is an unwanted agent that can be the sole reason for such actions.”
Certain psychiatric conditions do increase a person’s risk of committing a crime. Research suggests that patients with mental illness may be more prone to violence if they do not receive adequate treatment, are actively experiencing delusions, or have long-standing paranoia.
“There can be possibility of other factors which lead to the action. These factors include fit of rage, substance abuse, etc.”
Factors Contributing to Maternal Filicide
1. Mental Health Challenges Judgment can be significantly impaired, or reality distorted when people suffer from severe mental disorders like severe depression, schizophrenia, or psychosis. This might make them do things they wouldn’t do when of sound mind.
2. Overwhelming Stress Personal relationships, financial burdens and other life challenges can cause persistent stressors that could overwhelm someone who lacks appropriate coping mechanisms hence compromising their ability to take care of their child.
3. History of Abuse or Trauma A mother’s emotional and mental state may be severely affected by untreated trauma or past abuse leading to dysfunctional coping mechanisms that affect her parenting abilities.
4. Substance Abuse Impairment in judgment due to any kind of substance abuse including alcoholism or drug addiction coupled with current mental health problems may prompt individuals into impulsive dangerous behavior.
5. Psychopathic or Sociopathic Tendencies In some isolated cases, lack of empathy or remorse among others may indicate psychopathic or sociopathic traits capable violent actions including hurting their children.
Divorce’s Influence: Examining the Role of Custody Battles First leads have shown that Suchana Seth’s request to limit access for her child by her former husband after visiting rights were granted through court has something to do with the crime.
Throughout the separation and custody battles, the psychologist has to