Jeremy Laurance: A treatable condition, once acknowledged
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Robert Enke's widow, Teresa, said he had feared that their adopted daughter, eight-month-old Leila who came to them last May, might be taken away if his depression became public. Could that have triggered his suicide?
Adoption is challenging. The children placed have often had difficult experiences and it calls for resilience and robustness, qualities hard to locate when in the grip of depression.
So it is possible that Leila's arrival increased Enke's own sense of inadequacy as a parent. It may also have rekindled his grief at the loss of the couple's biological daughter, Lara. A parent who has lost one child is bound to have a heightened fear of losing a second.
Would the German authorities have taken Leila away had they learnt of her adoptive father's depression? It seems unlikely. Adoption is an irrevocable legal process – once the papers are signed there is no going back.
On the other hand, any child may be taken into care if their parent is judged unfit. If Enke had genuinely kept the details of his illness from the authorities, he may have convinced himself, in the throes of his depression, that it could happen. Depression is widespread, and treatable, and should never be a bar to adoption. But it is always better acknowledged than concealed.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments