I don't that anyone will actually know "why or how" it happened - in the end. What we do know is that she raised 4 babies in an uninhabitable home, she kept secrets that endanged 2 babies lives, and she didn't meet the 2 babies basic needs to not only survive but also thrive, and she had the ability to meet 2 more children's needs so as not arouse interest by the community.
I am just not "feeling the love" that a diagnosis of mental illness will explain away her behaviors. She will have to explain herself because despite the "autopsy" results on the deceased infants, she still didn't seek appropriate pre-natal care which could have prevented fetal distress leading to miscarriage or still birth.
Again, I am only basing my opinion on proven facts that she committed crimes by endangering children, lived in substandard housing - despite the resources to ameliorate that, and "concealed the death of children out of wedlock" - which on the face appears to be true.
My opinion only, but I think that explaining this away as being "mental illness" actually harms those who struggle with significant issues of mental health. Those that take their medications regularly, attend therapeutic appointments to achieve better functioning, and really try hard to control their disability in appropriate and productive ways deserve to be credited for more than just having a "label". It is all about learning how to deal with and overcome their struggles so that they have control over those factors and not allowing the illness control them. All of these options were always available for EM if she chose to seek assitance for herself and her children. Sometimes I think Mental Illness can be a "catch all" phrase for explaining those things that we don't know how to explain or understand.
