Lindsay Clancy Trial: Day 9

brooke mcleod
4 days ago
6 min read

Today was an interesting one and a day i think everyone was waiting for!Dr.Jennifer Tufts took the stand.

Witness #58- Kimberly Hardy- Called By the Prosecution

Kingsbury Club- Child Services Director

Runs the programming for the Playroom in the Club, Parents can drop children off and go to the gym or play tennis. The also have a spa and pool on site.
Seen Cora and Dawson often at the playroom, usually dropped off and picked up by Lindsay
Callen didn't go because Lindsay was worried about sickness given it was cold and flu season and Callen was only months old.
Describes Lindsay as seeming shy, but would come work out and always pick the kids up by the 2 hour time limit.
January 17th was the last time the children were there.
Testified that she never seen Lindsay angry with the kids, She always seemed happy, picked them up on time and the kids were excited to see her.
Is aware that doctors will recommend people to work out as it's good for their physical and mental health.

Witness #59- Sarah Carney- Called by the Prosecution

Wife of close friend Kyle Carney

Met Lindsay through Patrick 12-13 years ago.
Became close family friends, lived in the same town, had kids close in age, would see each other often.
Didn't notice anything different with Lindsay after she had the kids but admits she was closer to Patrick then Lindsay
Describes Lindsay as an active person who liked to exercise
In fall of 2022 she noticed Lindsay looking thinner but never brought it up to her.
Hosted a bonfire on Jan 22 2023, The Clancy's came, she noticed Lindsay seemed quiet but normal. No slurred speech, difficulty communicating understanding.

Witness #60- Aliyia Goodheart- Called by the prosecution

Physchiatrist at Mclean Hospital

Mclean is a free standing Mental health Hospital that falls under the Mass. General and Brigham hospital system
Works in the Inpatient Unit, patients are sent her by the emergency department either voluntarily or involuntarily.
Facility uses a team approach:
Steps taken when a patient arrives, they are taken to the clinical evaluation centre, this involves a Psychiatrist and nurse, they review the notes from the emergency department and then ask their own set of evaluation questions ( history, family history, how you are presenting etc.)
next they do a quick physical check for injuries and then asses how often they should be checked on (5-15 minute range) they would need and what medications the patient will get. then assign them to one of the inpatient units.
After arriving at the unit they are seen by a mental health worker and nurse. As well as their belongings are searched for anything considered unsafe.
No minimum stay requirement for voluntary patients as long as they don't pose an imminent danger to themselves or others they can leave at any time.
they are seen daily by a psychiatrist, nurse, mental health worker, offered programming and medical checks.
Programs vary from learning skills to doing relaxing activities and counselling.
says on holiday weekends you may see alterations in programming but staff stays the same
Lindsay arrived early morning of Jan 4th by ambulance, was assigned to Dr. Goodheart's care.
Patient complaints were she was "unhappy", struggling with sleep, felt numb and struggling with medication
She's not sure what information doctors have available to them when a patient arrives other then the APS the emergency department does.
Lindsays APS evaluation revealed she had thoughts of wanting to die but no plan, and was not experiencing any homicidal thoughts. No evidence of Psychosis, mania, obsessions, or current anxiety.
Lindsay reported that in the beginning of December after starting ceraquill and remeron she began to have intrusive and suicidal thoughts.
Lindsay was documented Low Risk, checked on every 15 minutes, and kept on the meds she came in on.
The diagnosis upon entrance was determined to be Major Depressive Disorder without psychotic features
Due to Dr. Goodheart not being in the hospital on the first day of her stay she was assessed by a different Psychiatrist on the unit after coming up from her initial ECE with another Psychiatrist.
She testified that Lindsay was hopeful she could get home by the following weekend for her daughter birthday party on Jan 7th.
She stated that Lindsay never reported hearing voices or other symptoms of psychosis but did express suicidal thoughts. however notes that she had no plan and had reasons to live which were : her Kids, Her mother, and her family.
She arranged for out patient care and deemed her not a risk and released Lindsay on Jan. 5th.

On Cross- examination

The defence went after the depth and limitations of Goodheart's evaluation.

Reddington questioned:

How much information McLean had about Lindsay's previous psychiatric treatment.
Whether the hospital had access to all of Lindsay's previous medical records.
Whether Goodheart knew about Lindsay's suicide-hotline call in the fall.
Whether McLean contacted all of Lindsay's outpatient providers.
Whether the hospital performed additional testing that might have helped identify a more serious psychiatric condition.

Goodheart testified that some of those things were not done, but maintained that they weren't clinically necessary based on what she observed.

He also questioned her about staffing on hoildays and if it was more of a skelton crew, or lower numbers and Dr. Goodheart didn't understand his question. She just said they work as a team with one pyschiatrist, one nurse, one mental health worker

🚨 One particularly important admission:

Goodheart testified that in more than 20 years of practicing psychiatry, she had never treated a patient with postpartum psychosis.

Opinion Time: This testimony was also highly interesting as many have wondered how she wasn't in an inpatient program and deemed safe. Dr. Goodheart appears experienced and educated but I think the holiday of new years played a factor in her care and I think Dr. Goodheart missed some stuff but doesn't want to admit she should have done more because there is a pending lawsuit.

Witness #61- Dr. Jennifer Tufts - called by the prosecution

Lindsay's Psychiatrist

Became a fully licensed Psychiatrist in spring of 2022 and began working at Aster Mental Health.
Tufts was Lindsay's psychiatrist from approximately September 2022 through January 2023.
She treated Lindsay primarily through tele-health/video appointments.
She saw Lindsay approximately 14 times over about four months, according to testimony highlighted during the trial.

🗓️ The Beginning — September 2022

When Lindsay first began seeing Tufts:

She was struggling with anxiety and postpartum depression symptoms.
Lindsay described feeling overwhelmed by caring for three children.
She was having difficulty with sleep.
She was particularly anxious about leaving her youngest child, Callan.
Lindsay did not initially report suicidal intent.
She did not report homicidal thoughts.
She did not report hallucinations.
Tufts did not observe psychosis during their appointments.

Tufts diagnosed Lindsay with anxiety and adjustment disorder, rather than bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis.

💊 Zoloft & the Early Treatment

One of the major issues was Lindsay's use of Zoloft (sertraline).

Tufts prescribed Zoloft for Lindsay's depression/anxiety symptoms.
Lindsay was initially reluctant to take it because she was breastfeeding and was concerned about its effect on Callan.
Eventually she began taking it.
The defence presented evidence that Lindsay's symptoms appeared to worsen during this period, particularly her insomnia.
Patrick had previously testified that Lindsay seemed to be getting worse rather than better after beginning treatment.

😴 The Insomnia Problem

Sleep became one of the most important recurring issues.
Lindsay was reporting extreme difficulty sleeping.
Patrick testified that there were periods when she went extraordinarily long periods without meaningful sleep.
Tufts was treating the anxiety/depression and also attempting to address the sleep problem through medication.

📈 Symptoms Become More Concerning

As the months progressed, Lindsay's reported symptoms became increasingly serious.

Evidence from the records and testimony included:

Increasing anxiety.
Severe sleep problems.
Feeling overwhelmed.
Feelings of hopelessness.
Feeling emotionally numb.
Intrusive thoughts.
Increasing concern about her ability to cope.
Increasing medication concerns.

🧩 The December Picture

By December, Lindsay's condition had become much more concerning.

Evidence presented at trial indicates she was reporting:

Feeling hopeless.
Severe insomnia.
Intrusive thoughts.
Feeling emotionally disconnected.
Increasing distress about motherhood.
Concerns about medication.
Suicidal thoughts.

Yet Tufts testified that Lindsay did not tell her she intended to harm herself or anyone else during their interactions.

Cross examination did start on this day but I'm putting it all on day 10 as it will be better to read all at once.

Opinion on the day in all: another day and still no one has described Lindsay as a bad or un caring mother. The Prosecution once again spent time trying to imply that because Lindsay could present normal around people, there was no way she could have had a Psychotic break, which is just untrue. it's heart breaking to hear how mclean hospital failed her and left you wondering if she had went in 1-2 weeks later would the result have been the same? Lastly Dr. Tufts, on one hand I feel bad for her that just as she's starting her career she gets such a serious case and already has a lawsuit pending against her for her actions, she's young and appears to never have had to testify before and Mr. Reddington didn't take the cross easy on her. On the other hand, seeing her for a max of 14 times and most of them via tele-health and appointments were under 30 minutes ..... was a recipe for disaster, she should have consulted with co workers or referred Lindsay to someone with much more experience.

Today was an interesting one and a day i think everyone was waiting for!Dr.Jennifer Tufts took the stand.

Witness #58- Kimberly Hardy- Called By the Prosecution

Kingsbury Club- Child Services Director

Runs the programming for the Playroom in the Club, Parents can drop children off and go to the gym or play tennis. The also have a spa and pool on site.

Seen Cora and Dawson often at the playroom, usually dropped off and picked up by Lindsay

Callen didn't go because Lindsay was worried about sickness given it was cold and flu season and Callen was only months old.

Describes Lindsay as seeming shy, but would come work out and always pick the kids up by the 2 hour time limit.

January 17th was the last time the children were there.

Testified that she never seen Lindsay angry with the kids, She always seemed happy, picked them up on time and the kids were excited to see her.

Is aware that doctors will recommend people to work out as it's good for their physical and mental health.

Witness #59- Sarah Carney- Called by the Prosecution

Wife of close friend Kyle Carney

Met Lindsay through Patrick 12-13 years ago.

Became close family friends, lived in the same town, had kids close in age, would see each other often.

Didn't notice anything different with Lindsay after she had the kids but admits she was closer to Patrick then Lindsay

Describes Lindsay as an active person who liked to exercise

In fall of 2022 she noticed Lindsay looking thinner but never brought it up to her.

Hosted a bonfire on Jan 22 2023, The Clancy's came, she noticed Lindsay seemed quiet but normal. No slurred speech, difficulty communicating understanding.

Witness #60- Aliyia Goodheart- Called by the prosecution

Physchiatrist at Mclean Hospital

Mclean is a free standing Mental health Hospital that falls under the Mass. General and Brigham hospital system

Works in the Inpatient Unit, patients are sent her by the emergency department either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Facility uses a team approach:

Steps taken when a patient arrives, they are taken to the clinical evaluation centre, this involves a Psychiatrist and nurse, they review the notes from the emergency department and then ask their own set of evaluation questions ( history, family history, how you are presenting etc.)

next they do a quick physical check for injuries and then asses how often they should be checked on (5-15 minute range) they would need and what medications the patient will get. then assign them to one of the inpatient units.

After arriving at the unit they are seen by a mental health worker and nurse. As well as their belongings are searched for anything considered unsafe.

No minimum stay requirement for voluntary patients as long as they don't pose an imminent danger to themselves or others they can leave at any time.

they are seen daily by a psychiatrist, nurse, mental health worker, offered programming and medical checks.

Programs vary from learning skills to doing relaxing activities and counselling.

says on holiday weekends you may see alterations in programming but staff stays the same

Lindsay arrived early morning of Jan 4th by ambulance, was assigned to Dr. Goodheart's care.

Patient complaints were she was "unhappy", struggling with sleep, felt numb and struggling with medication

She's not sure what information doctors have available to them when a patient arrives other then the APS the emergency department does.

Lindsays APS evaluation revealed she had thoughts of wanting to die but no plan, and was not experiencing any homicidal thoughts. No evidence of Psychosis, mania, obsessions, or current anxiety.

Lindsay reported that in the beginning of December after starting ceraquill and remeron she began to have intrusive and suicidal thoughts.

Lindsay was documented Low Risk, checked on every 15 minutes, and kept on the meds she came in on.

The diagnosis upon entrance was determined to be Major Depressive Disorder without psychotic features

Due to Dr. Goodheart not being in the hospital on the first day of her stay she was assessed by a different Psychiatrist on the unit after coming up from her initial ECE with another Psychiatrist.

She testified that Lindsay was hopeful she could get home by the following weekend for her daughter birthday party on Jan 7th.

She stated that Lindsay never reported hearing voices or other symptoms of psychosis but did express suicidal thoughts. however notes that she had no plan and had reasons to live which were : her Kids, Her mother, and her family.

She arranged for out patient care and deemed her not a risk and released Lindsay on Jan. 5th.

The defence went after the depth and limitations of Goodheart's evaluation.

Reddington questioned:

How much information McLean had about Lindsay's previous psychiatric treatment.

Whether the hospital had access to all of Lindsay's previous medical records.

Whether Goodheart knew about Lindsay's suicide-hotline call in the fall.

Whether McLean contacted all of Lindsay's outpatient providers.

Whether the hospital performed additional testing that might have helped identify a more serious psychiatric condition.

Goodheart testified that some of those things were not done, but maintained that they weren't clinically necessary based on what she observed.

He also questioned her about staffing on hoildays and if it was more of a skelton crew, or lower numbers and Dr. Goodheart didn't understand his question. She just said they work as a team with one pyschiatrist, one nurse, one mental health worker

🚨 One particularly important admission:

Goodheart testified that in more than 20 years of practicing psychiatry, she had never treated a patient with postpartum psychosis.

Witness #61- Dr. Jennifer Tufts - called by the prosecution

Lindsay's Psychiatrist

Became a fully licensed Psychiatrist in spring of 2022 and began working at Aster Mental Health.

Tufts was Lindsay's psychiatrist from approximately September 2022 through January 2023.

She treated Lindsay primarily through tele-health/video appointments.

She saw Lindsay approximately 14 times over about four months, according to testimony highlighted during the trial.

When Lindsay first began seeing Tufts:

She was struggling with anxiety and postpartum depression symptoms.

Lindsay described feeling overwhelmed by caring for three children.

She was having difficulty with sleep.

She was particularly anxious about leaving her youngest child, Callan.

Lindsay did not initially report suicidal intent.

She did not report homicidal thoughts.

She did not report hallucinations.

Tufts did not observe psychosis during their appointments.

Tufts diagnosed Lindsay with anxiety and adjustment disorder, rather than bipolar disorder or postpartum psychosis.

Tufts prescribed Zoloft for Lindsay's depression/anxiety symptoms.

Lindsay was initially reluctant to take it because she was breastfeeding and was concerned about its effect on Callan.

Eventually she began taking it.

The defence presented evidence that Lindsay's symptoms appeared to worsen during this period, particularly her insomnia.

Patrick had previously testified that Lindsay seemed to be getting worse rather than better after beginning treatment.

Sleep became one of the most important recurring issues.

Lindsay was reporting extreme difficulty sleeping.

Patrick testified that there were periods when she went extraordinarily long periods without meaningful sleep.

Tufts was treating the anxiety/depression and also attempting to address the sleep problem through medication.

As the months progressed, Lindsay's reported symptoms became increasingly serious.

Evidence from the records and testimony included:

Increasing anxiety.