I was thinking about that today. She was in Peri menopause territory at 47-48 when she was allegedly planning these murders, and I wondered whether a menopause induced psychosis was possible.
She doesn’t appear to have been in a psychotic state because she took actions calmly in some instances, but these are the warning signs pre psychosis.
A person will often show changes in their behavior before psychosis develops. Behavioral warning signs for psychosis include:
- Suspiciousness, paranoid ideas, or uneasiness with others
- Trouble thinking clearly and logically
- Withdrawing socially and spending a lot more time alone
- Unusual or overly intense ideas, strange feelings, or a lack of feelings
- Decline in self-care or personal hygiene
- Disruption of sleep, including difficulty falling asleep and reduced sleep time
- Difficulty telling reality from fantasy
- Confused speech or trouble communicating
- Sudden drop in grades or job performance
Alongside these symptoms, a person with psychosis may also experience more general changes in behavior that include:
- Emotional disruption
- Anxiety
- Lack of motivation
- Difficulty functioning overall
In some cases, a person experiencing a psychotic episode may behave in confusing and unpredictable ways and may harm themselves or become threatening towards others.