She said her mother battled alcoholism at times and went through a flurry of mental health professionals who offered varying diagnoses, from major depression and bipolar disorder to borderline personality disorder and psychosis.
But even with medication and therapy, her troubles persisted, and child welfare workers were often at her door...
devout Catholic for much of her life, she also grew increasingly infatuated with religion and increasingly paranoid about secret societies and evil, Mallory said.
"But she was not so far different that I was concerned for anybody's safety," she said. "Mom had never beat us or hit us, none of that."...
Looking back, Mallory says she blames the mental health system more for her sister's death than she does her mother.
She believes her mother was repeatedly misdiagnosed and shuffled in different directions by doctors who didn't appreciate the severity of her condition, or know how to treat it.
"Part of me also is upset that maybe she realized something was wrong, and she didn't tell anybody. I don't know. I can't hold it against her at this point," Mallory said. "She didn't want to hurt her."...
"She cries about Maggie," Mallory said. "She's so heartbroken and wishes she could turn back time. She knows what she did and is incredibly sorry."
