Lindsay Clancy's trial is playing out in court. Online, it's become something else.

The Lindsay Clancy trial is dominating headlines, but the public fascination with the 36-year-old Duxbury, Mass., woman who is accused of killing her three children in January 2023 — and whose defense argues she was experiencing postpartum psychosis at the time — goes beyond the typical true crime story.

The trial has also gone viral on social media, where users are eager to follow every new development, or do some armchair sleuthing of their own — sharing theories with their followers. The case has even prompted discussions around postpartum depression, symptoms of which are reported by roughly 1 in 8 women , and broader gaps in maternal mental health care.

Clancy is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. She admitted to killing her three children, but has pleaded not guilty , with her attorneys arguing that she was not criminally responsible due to mental illness. To convict her, prosecutors will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that she was criminally responsible at the time of the killings.

The defense rested its case on Friday , and closing arguments could happen as early as Monday. As the trial nears its end, let's take a look at why this case has become social media fodder — for better or for worse.

Clancy, who worked as a labor and delivery nurse for nine years, married her husband, Patrick Clancy, in 2016, and had three children with him: Cora, 5 at the time of her death; Dawson, 3; and Callan, 8 months. According to a medical malpractice lawsuit against some of her psychiatrists, which was filed earlier this year and features much of the same history of her medical treatment, she experienced postpartum anxiety after the birth of her first two children, which she managed with therapy and lifestyle changes like exercise .

But after Callan's birth, her symptoms grew more severe, she said, including extreme insomnia, anxiety and behavior that she described as manic. Lindsay sought help from mental health professionals, who prescribed her over a dozen medications, and even admitted herself into a psychiatric hospital weeks before the Jan. 24, 2023, deaths of her children. She was discharged after five days.

Lindsay is now paraplegic and uses a wheelchair after an apparent suicide attempt following the killings.

It's a shocking case. Neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez tells Yahoo that's part of the reason the public can't look away. "As humans, we're gripped by horrible things," she explains. "It's like wanting to watch a car crash on the highway."

There's also a gendered element to Lindsay's case that seems to attract women in particular, Hafeez says. For one, it's a story about a mother on trial for the deaths of her three small children — a situation that many would view as unimaginable.

But Hafeez says that many people are also interested in Lindsay's life as a mom before the killings, noting that many women — particularly those struggling with motherhood — may be able to relate to aspects of her experience.

For example, some people online have accused Patrick of being an absent father . (According to People , he would often go on work trips, leaving Lindsay alone with the children.) Some accuse him of not taking Lindsay's mental health as seriously. Others have taken issue with his divorcing Lindsay and then remarrying more than three years after their children's deaths. Hafeez says many women are finding surprising kinship with the defendant, who they see as an example of a woman who may not have received proper support in her relationship.

In his trial testimony, Patrick defended his ex-wife as a " very dedicated " mother who did everything for them. He said he helped her seek treatment, including encouraging her to admit herself to the hospital, and said no medical provider ever told him not to leave Lindsay alone with their children. He'd left them with her before, he said, and nothing had happened.

"There's so much hatred and anger from every woman who's been jilted or ignored or disappointed by a man," Hafeez says. "I think a lot of the fascination comes from not just the psychosis and not what she did … it's the circumstances that led to this."

Another reason the case may resonate with people is because Lindsay repeatedly sought treatment for her mental health issues but continued to experience symptoms.

"I think for women, primarily for moms, there is a sense of heartbreak and validation," Nicole Kumi , a postpartum expert and founder of The Whole Mom , tells Yahoo. "Because a lot of us can see pieces of ourselves within Lindsay."

Lindsay Clancy's case is sparking broader discussions about postpartum mental health

Media coverage of Lindsay's case has inspired people to share their own postpartum experiences — many of which go undiscussed — with some saying they see aspects of their own experiences in her story and wondering what might have happened without proper intervention.

Kumi tells Yahoo that one of the positive effects of this case's virality is that it has prompted people to share crucial information with others.

"So many moms are sharing their stories and their journeys, and normalizing that it's OK to ask for help, that it is actually the best thing to do," she says. "They're also sharing who they got help from, and are linking their information. Providers are also coming out of our shells a little bit more, and speaking more about this topic and the work that we're doing — we are really starting to build a network."

Supporting mothers during pregnancy, as well as afterwards, can help prevent future tragedies, Kumi says, adding that the interest in the Clancy case suggests society is at an inflection point to make real change.

"What we have been asking for all along is education and better care — not just expecting moms to speak up when they're in crisis, but giving them tools and resources before the crisis," she says. "There's a real opportunity here for our country to make systemic changes that will impact generations to come."

Armchair sleuths are invested in the case. That could have an unintended consequence.

Lindsay's case has sparked intense debate over whether she should be held criminally responsible. But some armchair investigators have taken the case a step further, pointing to what they say are inconsistencies in the evidence. Some have even promoted baseless theories that Patrick could have been responsible for his children's deaths. Patrick has never been implicated in the case, and Lindsay's own defense attorney, Kevin Reddington, has not addressed these theories.

Kathryn Coduto , an assistant professor of media science at Boston University, tells Yahoo that these theories tend to spread online because, when it comes to true crime cases, "one of the hallmarks is that men are typically the perpetrators."

"So I think then, this case basically flipping that brings a lot of attention. It's not just a woman who is a perpetrator here, but it's a mother, and it's a mother who killed her kids, and they're young kids," she says.

Dominique Russo , a Florida-based criminal defense lawyer who has covered the Clancy case on TikTok , tells Yahoo that another reason these theories catch on is because much of the public's exposure to criminal trials is on TV.

"Most people in the public have not gone through a criminal trial before, and they're basing their knowledge on things like Law and Order: SVU that always has a twist," she says. "It's never the person that they start out thinking that it's going to be. There's always something that gets uncovered at the end of the day, and something that blows up the case."

The reason these conspiracy theories continue to gain traction, Russo says, is because "it doesn't make good content to be like, 'Oh no, it was just Lindsay and it's an insanity issue.'"

"People are getting views because they're breaking down the timeline, they're picking apart the evidence, and all of that," she explains. And, as Coduto notes, some social media users have all the time in the world to pick apart tiny pieces of evidence, without necessarily having context about what has been excluded from the trial and why.

But it is possible, Russo says, for social media to have an impact on how Lindsay's lawyer is trying this case. Ultimately, it's a jury of Lindsay's peers who will decide the outcome of the trial, she says, and the arguments resonating on social media may resonate with the jury as well.

If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental or emotional health, help is available. Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Lifeline, or go to 988lifeline.org.