The public furor over the Lindsay Clancy case concerning the Massachusetts mother who admitted she strangled her three young children shows that Americans have very little idea what “insanity,” “psychosis,” and other terms mean in the courtroom.
There are no reliable polls of the general public that can accurately establish what percentage of the public is sympathetic to Lindsay Clancy. But social media discourse appears to show substantial and widespread sympathy. However, it’s likely that many people who feel that way misunderstand the specific psychiatric and legal claims being made by the defense and the prosecution. They might change their view with a more specific understanding of terminology.
