The Lindsay Clancy Conspiracy Theories Are Hiding a Darker Truth
slate.com
Lindsay Clancy's case drew wild online conspiracy theories — but the darker question is what that frenzy drowns out about postpartum mental illness.
Moral PanicBystander EffectAttribution TheoryAgenda-Setting Theory

Theory Briefing
- True-crime audiences routinely spin conspiracy theories around high-profile cases, and the Clancy case has attracted an especially intense wave of online speculation.
- The article argues the conspiracy noise actively obscures a serious underlying issue — the failures surrounding postpartum mental health care.
- Online communities treat a real tragedy as a puzzle to solve, redirecting attention from systemic questions toward dramatic alternative narratives.
- The gap between public fascination and public understanding of postpartum psychosis sits at the center of the piece's critique.