Was Niagara Falls mom, Chianti Means suffering from postpartum depression? Bierra Hamilton, the cousin Chianti claims the mom had a history of depression and was suffering from postpartum depression following the recent birth of her 5 month old daughter.
The upstate NY mom who threw her two children along with herself over Niagara Falls earlier this week, had been suffering from postpartum depression, her cousin has claimed.
Chianti Means, 33, did not end her life ‘over a man’ or a breakup, as some have speculated online, said her cousin, Bierra Hamilton speaking to the nypost.
‘Understand this — postpartum [depression] is very real and needs a cure,’ said Hamilton. ‘Her death wasn’t over a man. My cousin was silently fighting depression alone.’
How postpartum depression could lead to a mother harming her own children
Means gave birth five months ago to baby Mecca Means. Means also had an older child, a 9 year old boy by the name of Roman Rossman with another man.
An understanding of what causes postpartum depression and what could lead a mother to harm her own children centers on the notion that a dramatic drop in hormones following recent childbirth (specifically estrogen and progesterone levels) can in some women trigger depressive episodes.
Along with underlying emotional issues, genetics and whether the birth mother has had a prior history of depression, a woman who has given recent birth could suddenly find herself dealing with manic depressive episodes.
Why that in turn could lead to a mother harming her own children continues to remain unknown.
According to the mayoclinic, ‘Untreated postpartum depression can last for months or longer, sometimes becoming an ongoing depressive disorder. Mothers may stop breastfeeding, have problems bonding with and caring for their infants, and be at increased risk of suicide. Even when treated, postpartum depression increases a woman’s risk of future episodes of major depression.’
Recent heart-break
Perhaps what could’ve triggered Chianti Means going over the edge was the fact that she and the father of her 5 month old had ended their relationship as recently as August.
Means who also went by the pseudonym, Diamond Scott on social media has posted on Facebook of her distress of no longer being involved with her youngest daughter’s father and the heartbreak that had brought her.
‘I wish someone would love me because the man that’s suppose to does not,’ the newly separated woman had posted on September 29.
Wrote the mother on October 1: You have to hold on to the ones you love. Never known when you might lose them.’
Along with no longer being involved with baby Mecca’s father is the reality that raising two young children as a single woman is a huge undertaking, both financially and emotionally – a responsibility normally shared by two parents.
Reflected Means’ cousin, ‘She loved her children and her family very much. I never had a bad memory with her. [She was] so full of life and wisdom. She and her kids will be missed so much.’
Had intentionally thrown her two children
Means is believed to have leapt from Luna Island, one of several popular overlooks perched above the New York side of Niagara Falls.
Following the review of surveillance tape, investigators now believe Chianti Means had ‘intentionally’ thrown her two children into Niagara Falls after climbing over the chest high guardrail and the highest precipe at the landmark, before jumping moments later herself.
The area from where Chianti Means leapt from is run by the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation, and is open to visitors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
More than 8 million people pass through the park each year, according to the state agency.
