We can learn from Dickason’s tragedy

Looking at the anguished, heart-rending story of Lauren Dickason brings to mind the old saying: “There, but for the grace of God (or fate, if you prefer), go I…”

Lauren Dickason, although a murderer who strangled and smothered her three young girls, is, paradoxically, not a bad person. She is a person who was finally overcome after years of battling a disease. That truth clearly hit home to those in the courtroom in Christchurch, New Zealand, yesterday.

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After passing the guilty verdict and being dismissed by the judge, some jurors left in tears. Dickason’s lawyers were also seen weeping. This awful triple killing took more than the lives of Dickason’s twins Maya and Karla, aged two, and first daughter Liané, six.

It shattered Lauren’s too, as well as that of her husband, Graham. Lauren battled depression from her teenage years and that insidious disease still lurked around the fringes of her life after she had her children, worsening with the onset of postpartum depression, according to her parents, Malcolm and Wendy Fawkes.

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Depression is more common in society than people realise, as those afflicted by it often try to cover it up – often because their friends and family tell them to “pull yourself together”. It never goes away, though it can be managed through counselling and medication.

Professionals who work with mental illness will confirm that society as a whole often has an unsympathetic attitude towards those suffering from depression and even those who would show concern and offer to help are frequently ignorant of the symptoms and warning signs.

We need more programmes to raise awareness of mental health issues – starting at school and continuing into adult life – and we need to eradicate the stigma attached to them.

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If nothing else, the Lauren Dickason story should tell us: pay attention and look after those around you.