(Update)Mom: Schizophrenia made her put daughter in oven

www.freep.com...

The Hamtramck woman whose 4-year-old said she cooked her "in the oven like a turkey," is scheduled to undergo extensive psychiatric testing after she said schizophrenia led to her mental breakdown last month.

“I love my children,” Reyna Valentino said as she arrived today at 31st District Court in Hamtramck for her hearing on two counts of torture and two counts of child abuse. “I have schizophrenia.”

Cut off from her antipsychotic medication by Medicaid when paperwork got returned after the family's move last year, she was unable to afford $700 a month for her medicine, said her husband of 10 years, Randy Valentino. She had been off her medication for schizophrenia for three or four months when she put Emma, 4, in an oven Jan. 23, he said.

“Reyna did not do this,” Randy said about his wife, a native of Mexico whom he met 10 years ago when they both worked at a Livonia thrift store. “This is the illness. Schizophrenia is a horrible, horrible illness that can make someone do things and say things they would never otherwise say or do.”

Here's an update to this story.

This is what happens when people don't get their meds. This explains why the mother ran to the neighbor right after she put her kid in the oven. I wondered about that. This whole family is ripped apart because of schizophrenia, and lack of medication. Click on the link to read the full article.

reply to post by Clark W. Griswold


That is so sad. I know from experience that Medicaid is a joke. They do whatever it takes to cut down teir costs but in this case it almost took a life. THe child is scarred for live, emotionally and physically.

As the world turns it gets crazier by the moment. What ever happen to planet earth that it would be populated by such distortion and insanity.

Originally posted by gaslaugh123
As the world turns it gets crazier by the moment. What ever happen to planet earth that it would be populated by such distortion and insanity.

Further, what comes of the world after the glorification of aberrant human behavior. Our media plucks these nasty tidbits to enthrall and captivate us, making us think this is how the 'world' is.

It is not. For each of these horrible episodes of human extremes, there are dozens more..., and endless stream of shock and horror for the media to exploit.

While good news doesn't sell; it seems clear that they are teaching us to focus on the disgusting, negative, and abhorrent. Shows on TV, focusing of trash and low class behavior, exalting the sexual or moral flaws of celebrities, and making people live in despair over our communities' lost sense of center are hardly constructive.

The medicaid system, another national scam, would not even engage this family in their plight..., because of paperwork. That's the obscenity here.

The mother must now harbor this event in her life as a horrible nightmarish scar; I can't even begin to imagine the child's mental and emotional process of healing from this.

Compassion and healing is required here. Dismay and outrage is theatrics.

You know I've been following this story since it broke. I thought this lady was mentaly ill before they even said she has schizophrenia. No normal person puts thier kid in the oven.

I'm from Detroit and I have schizophrenia too. It's hard for most people to understand what it is like to be mentaly ill. I feel bad for her kids but I aslo sypathize with her too. I know what thier all going through.

Schizoprhenia don't just effect the person with it it effects the whole family. I'm 32 years old and can't hold a job. I applied for disability but was denied 3 times. My famaly has been supporting me for the last 4 years. I get medicade but there was a time I didn't have insurance. My doctor gave me free samples for 3 years. My medicaion costs $400 a month and thats just one pill a day.

People shouldnt stereotype schizophrenics as dangerous because the truth is most are harmess. 1% of the people in the US have schizophrenia thats 3 million poeple. Next to depression schizoprhenia is the second most comon mental illness.

I wonder why so many people suffer from this illness?

Is it society, diet, something in the air, genetics, etc?

reply to post by mr-lizard
Genetics plays a big role in schizophenia from what I've read but no one in my family has it other then me but it has been known to run in familys though. The brain is just like other organs it gets sick too. Take diabetes for instance it's pretty rampant in society.

I've read that they've found two genes that are associated with schizophrenia and thier looking for more. And that 1/3 of the population has them. These genes may lay dormant until triggerd either by evoirmental influace such as stress, abuse, or chemical influence such as street drugs. I've also read the lead poisening may be linked to schizophrenia.

Some people have the genes and never get schizophrenia while other do I guess it all comes down to how geneticaly suseptable some is to getting it.

There are also 6 types of schizophrenia paranoid, catatonic, schizoeffective, disorginized, residual, undifferentiaded. I was labbled by my doctors as paranoid schizoeffective. which is paranoid schizoprhenia and bipolar together.

Call me a "nazi" or an "elitist" all you want, but there should be state requirements before having children.


People are required to pass a test to join the military.
People are required to pass a test to drive a motor vehicle.
People are required to pass a test to handle my lettuce and tomato at Subway.

There should be REQUIREMENTS for all people trying for children.

Social and monetary requirements
Physical Health and well being requirements
Education and intelligence requirements
And last but not least, to avoid situations like this..

MENTAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS.

If there's one thing that should be "controlled" it should be the stability of a nation states citizens.

I'm disgusted by the relentlessness of irresponsible people raising irresponsible children and the issues we all have to deal with because of that.

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
Call me a "nazi" or an "elitist" all you want, but there should be state requirements before having children.


People are required to pass a test to join the military.
People are required to pass a test to drive a motor vehicle.
People are required to pass a test to handle my lettuce and tomato at Subway.

There should be REQUIREMENTS for all people trying for children.

Social and monetary requirements
Physical Health and well being requirements
Education and intelligence requirements
And last but not least, to avoid situations like this..

MENTAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS.

If there's one thing that should be "controlled" it should be the stability of a nation states citizens.

I'm disgusted by the relentlessness of irresponsible people raising irresponsible children and the issues we all have to deal with because of that.

That lady could of had her kids before she became ill thats something you don't know. Schizophrenia tends to hit women later in life then men. For women its usualy late 20's early 30's. For men it's late teens early 20's. How are you gonna screen for that?

I didn't come down with schizophrenia untill I was 19 and I didn't have full onset until I was 20. Before that I was outgoing and had lots of friends. I played football throughout highschool and was an honor role student.

Alot people that get schizophrenia are normal before they get it. Just like Parkinsons disease theres before and after.

Schizophenia can cause serious changes in ones personality and people can do things they normaly wouldn't do. Schizorphenia is a neurobiological disorder it has more to do with genetics then how someones parents raised them. I don't hear people say "must have been bad parenting" when someone gets Parkinsons.

Originally posted by DeadFlagBlues
Call me a "nazi" or an "elitist" all you want, but there should be state requirements before having children.


People are required to pass a test to join the military.
People are required to pass a test to drive a motor vehicle.
People are required to pass a test to handle my lettuce and tomato at Subway.

There should be REQUIREMENTS for all people trying for children.

Social and monetary requirements
Physical Health and well being requirements
Education and intelligence requirements
And last but not least, to avoid situations like this..

MENTAL HEALTH REQUIREMENTS.

If there's one thing that should be "controlled" it should be the stability of a nation states citizens.

I'm disgusted by the relentlessness of irresponsible people raising irresponsible children and the issues we all have to deal with because of that.

You are definitely not a Nazi, or an elitist for having this viewpoint. You read news reports of horrible things happening because they do not have this regulation. It is very understandable. However, I wish to ask you to take a look at the other side of the argument for just a moment. My argument.

What happens if this type of regulation is implemented? We can only speculate of course, however that does not mean we can't intelligently speculate.

First of all, let me just say the more restrictions you put on a society, the more repressed/ dehumanzied its' occupants will feel. Some examples of this could Russia, China, Britain, Australia, America, France... hell most of Europe. So, think about the effect this will have on the millions of people who are actually mentally ill, not smart enough, etc. Put yourself in their shoes, if you will. I will leave the imagining to you.

The key here, is not to imagine the enormous impact this would have... because it wouldn't be enormous for everyone. However, rather, the impact this kind of regulation would have on each and every individual numbering in the 10s of millions. The number of people affected in other words. This would obviously impact people to different degrees, some not at all... and some enormously. I think it is also important to understand that because of this, it would do more harm than good. I also think it is important to note, the restrictions already implemented on society that would just add to this... and in turn, would make it that much worse.

Some things, just aren't worth regulating, even when lives are at stake. Why? Sometimes, you can put even more lives at stake than you were actually trying to save.



[edit on 13-2-2009 by sliceNodice]

[edit on 13-2-2009 by sliceNodice]