HGP Nightly News – In the aftermath of the recent tragedy in which a mother killed her young daughter and attempted to do the same to her son, Clinical Psychotherapist Shane Tull is urging Guyanese families, communities and policymakers to look beyond the shock of the moment and focus on how similar cases might be prevented from happening again.
Speaking with Nightly News exclusively, against the backdrop of the incident, Tull said the country must confront the possibility that other women may be struggling in silence, and that earlier support and intervention could make the difference between distress and disaster.
Tull said prevention has to begin at the most immediate level, within families and among those closest to a person who may be under strain. He said if relatives or friends notice that a mother appears overwhelmed or that children seem to be lacking care and attention, they must not ignore those signs.
“One should be able to step up and say, listen, I notice that, you know, the kids are crying, the baby is crying more, you’re not paying attention, they look like they’re not being well cared for. How can I help you?” he said. According to Tull, “just offering help is important,” especially in households where a mother may be carrying more than others realise.
He pointed out that many families no longer live in the kind of intergenerational households that once gave mothers built-in support. “We don’t live in the intergenerational households like we used to,” Tull said, explaining that in the past there was often “your great aunt, or your grandmother… there’s always somebody there.”
Now, he said, many women are left to manage children largely on their own in smaller, more isolated family units. In those circumstances, a mother may spend the entire day caring for children while her partner is away, only to find that by evening both adults are already drained.
Tull said that reality can create a dangerous cycle of exhaustion and emotional overload. “The mom might be home with those children all day, while the dad is away. By the time she comes home, she’s completely exhausted, and so is he,” he said. But even then, the needs of the children continue.
“The kids are going to really be seeking more attention from her, which will continue to overwork her,” he added. His warning was that these pressures should not be brushed aside as ordinary stress when they may in fact be signs that someone is reaching a breaking point.
He said society too often assumes that a woman at home will simply manage childcare and the household without difficulty, but stressed that this is a serious and demanding responsibility. “That’s a huge job,” Tull said, noting that a mother has to read and respond to all of a child’s needs, manage a home, and often deal with her own personal and relationship struggles at the same time. In his view, these burdens need to be taken more seriously if the country truly wants to reduce the risk of similar tragedies in the future.
From a policy standpoint, Tull said more should be done to identify mothers who may be struggling before their distress deepens. “I think these are conversations we need to have,” he said, while suggesting that maternity clinics should include “like a mini mental health assessment” when women attend appointments.
He explained that routine screening during pregnancy and maternal care could help practitioners determine whether a woman is coping, whether she needs counselling, or whether more serious intervention may be required. “It will give the practitioners an insight in this person struggling, or do we need to put them on medication, have them see a therapist,” he said.
He also recommended support groups for mothers, where women can come together and speak openly about the emotional and psychological impact of raising children and carrying family responsibilities. According to Tull, these spaces could help women feel less isolated and more understood, while also encouraging earlier help-seeking.
He said the country needs to “put a human face on this story” and recognise that there may be many other women going through similar pressures without anyone realising it. In his words, “there are other women that are gonna come out… because they’re probably experiencing the same thing as well.”
At the heart of Tull’s message is the belief that tragedies like this cannot be treated only as moments of grief after the fact. They must also force a deeper national reflection on what warning signs are being missed, what support systems are absent, and what practical steps can be taken now to stop another family from being torn apart.
