On Tuesday May 21, 2019, the Altamont Enterprise interviewed Dr. Randall for an article to help residents of Guilderland and other local communities try to make sense of local mother’s suicide and filicide of her daughter.  The Enterprise contacted Dr. Randall because she works with patients ranging from adolescents to geriatrics and one of her areas of specialization is maternal-fetal psychiatric conditions.

In the article, Dr. Randall explains the altruistic beliefs parents have when they kill their child and then commit suicide.

With this kind of suicide, Randall said, the idea that comes first is the suicide, not the harming of the child. The parent thinks, “I can’t do this. I’m going to commit suicide.” But the next thought is, she said, “I can’t leave my child alone, I can’t abandon them, I need to take them with me.”

Dr. Randall also discussed the harsh tone of some of the comments about the mother that have appeared on social media and the need for compassion and understanding of how desperate she must have felt.

“To think that if this mother really was doing this out of love,” she said, “imagine how desperate she must have felt — how horrible! That’s when the compassion can come in.”

Dr. Randall wants everyone to know that there is 24 hour help on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and that number is 1-800-273-8255.

If you or someone you know is feeling desperate, anxious and/or depressed, please reach out to the hotline, call 9-1-1 for an emergency, or call Dr. Randall’s Office at (518) 655-1590 for more information about the treatments she offers to help.

You can read the article by clicking either of the 2 links below:
Click Here to Read on the Altamont Enterprise Website
or Click Here to Download a PDF Copy