Understanding Fillicide: Causes, Notable Cases, and Preventive Measures
PPT ON SUCHANA SETH-A PSYCHOLOGICAL PERVIEW- CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
Introduction
Fillicide, the act of a parent killing their own child, is a tragic and deeply disturbing phenomenon that has occurred throughout history. This blog post aims to shed light on the concept of fillicide, explore its underlying reasons, examine notable cases, and discuss the importance of mental health in preventing such acts.
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.
Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence start-up CEO was arrested by Karnataka Police on Monday when she tried to flee with the body of her 4-year-old son.
Suchana Seth, 39, allegedly killed her son at a Goa hotel and was fleeing to Karnataka in a taxi with the body stuffed in a bag. However, police got the whiff of the incident and arrested Seth from Karnataka’s Chitradurga.
The Mindful AI Lab CEO had checked in a Goa hotel on January 6 and checked out two days later on January 8.
The incident came to light after a hotel staff noticed blood stains in the room where Seth had stayed, and alerted the police.
According to the police, after committing the crime, Suchana Seth had asked the hotel staff to arrange a taxi for her.
When police confronted her, she told them that she had left her son at a relative’s place in South Goa. The address she gave became fake. Police found her answers evasive and they got suspicious. They asked the cab driver to report to the police station to gather more information. During interrogation, they found the body of the four years boy in the suitcasse.
Understanding Fillicide
Fillicide is a term derived from the Latin words “filii” (child) and “cidium” (killing). It refers to the intentional act of a parent taking the life of their own biological or adopted child. This act can occur in various forms, including infanticide (killing of an infant), neonaticide (killing of a newborn), or even the murder of an adult child.
Reasons for Fillicide
Understanding the complex motivations behind fillicide is crucial in order to address and prevent such tragic events. While each case is unique, several common factors have been identified:
1. Mental Health Issues: Mental health problems, such as postpartum depression, psychosis, or other psychiatric disorders, can significantly contribute to the occurrence of fillicide. These conditions may impair a parent’s judgment, distort their perception of reality, or lead to a loss of emotional control.
2. Relationship Problems: Strained relationships between parents, marital conflicts, or custody disputes can create an environment of extreme stress and emotional turmoil. These factors, when combined with unresolved anger or resentment, may increase the risk of fillicide.
3. Substance Abuse: Substance abuse, including alcohol and drug addiction, can impair judgment, alter behavior, and contribute to violent tendencies. Parents struggling with addiction may become neglectful, abusive, or even resort to fillicide.
4. Financial Stress: Financial difficulties, such as unemployment, debt, or poverty, can create immense pressure on parents. The inability to provide for their child’s basic needs may lead to feelings of hopelessness, desperation, and, in extreme cases, fillicide.
Famous Fillicide Cases
While every fillicide case is a tragedy, some have gained significant media attention due to their shocking nature or high-profile individuals involved. Notable examples include:
1. Andrea Yates: In 2001, Andrea Yates drowned her five children in a bathtub. She suffered from severe postpartum depression and psychosis, highlighting the importance of recognizing and treating mental health issues.
2. Susan Smith: In 1994, Susan Smith strapped her two young sons into their car seats and rolled the car into a lake, resulting in their deaths. Smith’s actions were driven by a desire to pursue a relationship without the burden of motherhood.
3. Mary Ann Cotton: In the 19th century, Mary Ann Cotton poisoned several of her children and stepchildren for financial gain. Her case exemplifies the intersection of financial stress and fillicide.
Mental Health and Fillicide Prevention
To effectively prevent fillicide, addressing mental health issues is of paramount importance. This can be achieved through various means:
1. Awareness and Education: Raising awareness about the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, particularly those affecting parents, can help identify individuals at risk and facilitate early intervention.
2. Access to Mental Health Services: Ensuring accessible and affordable mental health services, including therapy and counseling, can provide parents with the support they need to manage their mental well-being and prevent potential acts of fillicide.
3. Supportive Parenting Programs: Implementing programs that promote positive parenting skills, stress management techniques, and conflict resolution can help parents navigate the challenges they may face, reducing the likelihood of fillicide.
4. Encouraging Help-Seeking Behavior: Reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues and encouraging parents to seek help when needed can contribute to early intervention and prevention of fillicide.
Conclusion
Fillicide is a tragic and complex phenomenon that demands our attention and understanding. By addressing the underlying causes, promoting mental health awareness, and providing support to parents, we can strive towards a society where fillicide becomes a thing of the past. Let us work together to create a safer and more compassionate world for children and their families.
Emotional Intelligence and Basic psychology is to be taught to everyone. Kindly get in touch with Emocare, India’s first chain of counselling centers to learn Psychology or to take Effective Internship in Psychology. Please download a PPT on the issue.
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Understanding Fillicide: Causes, Notable Cases, and Preventive Measures
PPT ON SUCHANA SETH-A PSYCHOLOGICAL...
My opinions when I heard this incident
There are many incidents like this where we cannot get an answer to these type of behaviours.
When emotional hijacking happens rational brains break is shut
Also we don’t know what sort of events this lady was going through
These are all happening in just under one minute.
We cannot kill an emotion( it’s an energy). We can only starve them.
This era is the era of technology, which brings many complications in the socital lives. Our thinking process depends upon that and that leads our behaviour. Behaviour might be challenging sometimes, it creates hindrance.
The solutions could be wider awareness on psychology and process of counselling.
In this case we need to understand how her childhood was. To get to know her core belief. Then what brought in this change in her brain that led her to kill her own child. Is it because the child might be taken away from her or is it that the child might land up telling the father what all she is doing. is there a hidden life in her. If we can identify the problem and make her realise it and accept the fact, then we can move forward with helping her to take action on it.
Totally agree with you sir that Education has nothing to do with emotional intelligence ,or mental health has nothing to do with Education . Something must have triggered in her mind as AFTER THE COURTS VERDICT regarding their divorce , Court had given a approval for the child to meet his father ,that thought she might have used as assumption that the child might not come back to her and might have led her to go out of balance hence the thought of killing him ,which involved Transactional analysis where she seemed to be rebellious child ( PAC of the personality structure ),combing with the cognitive distortion by jumping to conclusions blended the life positions i.e I am not ok without the child ,which would have triggered in a negative thought of i am not ok ,u r not ok . So the thought that the child might go to his father she might have preferred killing the child . Thought is responsible for the behaviour .
Your article on highlighting the current disturbing incident of Suchana Seth ‘s filicide based incident is very alarming and educational. As it is underlined to improve upon emotional intelligence and getting aware about basics of psychology for each and every one irrespective of their educational or professional background is to be noted
You are very much correct to say that it is very much crucial in the domain of mental health care and a support to human living to deal with the hindrances in our social life. It’s a must read for all of us to sensitise self and others. Regards
In This modern world people are facing lots of problems and on other hand they are jealous too proof of all these is this incident
CEO SUCHANA SETH might be a rebellious child while murdering and might have obsessive defensive disorder because she is so aggressive and could also have psychos on other hand she taught her child would go with his x husband so in jealous she might have done the murder. these people need therapy as soon as possible. This is my point of psychological perspective.
Thanks
Regards
Rahul karthik
Wonderfully explained sir, with points that makes full sence as a student, i can relate all the state of mind the lady Suchana was in! How when why which state of mind she was in! Lately these kind of cases are high in our country! Morality lacking so much! High tech life has taken away the emotions mostly people are having numb feelings! Here in Bangladesh lower middle,middke class class and the struglling ppl mostly who are in poverty are getting into these kind of gruesome muders! Quite high here! Being the small countr with high population/ dencity may be the strugle abd competition is too much!
I believe being a topper in all sectors she had the habbit of believing she was a winner!And she have to win at any cost! See, in a healthy mind state i would like to see my child happy and healthy no matter with which parent they are with! I am sure she was Extremely stressed due to being engaged with too much organisations to handle! Abd was in a mind set Im ok you are not ok mode! As sir said and later went to im not ok and you are not okey state! Cognetive distortion totally since the divorce i am guessing! She had postpurtom depression not treated! Stayed for a long period!
Losing her son to the person she had so much of grudge on!
Also she probably had anger issues!
Not treated! Core believe! What was it! Hidden grudge!
One cannot be a winner in everything! But may be she couldnt think anymore went to limbic state! Pannic attac, nervous breakdown! All together combo?
And if i stand out of this whole theory and do not go logically.. There is another answer!
Ppl do get spiritually effected when they have too much anger! Evil spirits get in! Make ppl do things which cannot be answered! If only ppl believe in this. Just saying!
Another one! When ppl use substances and it is not detectable or may be it is, ppl do things they dont do in normal state! There was this girl only 15/ 16 years old murdered her parents by stabbing, and in.a very calm manner left the house with her lil brother! Father was a police inspector! She did all these because she was not able to buy drugs! Or party!
Sorry went far away from topic, but what if with all that problems in this case she took something and was irrational.. May be!