Woman Held Against Will in Psych Ward Is Freed

A judge in Vermont has ordered that a grieving mother held against her will in a psychiatric hospital for more than five weeks can go free, reports the Burlington Free Press. The case of Christina Schumacher, 48, made national headlines given the circumstances: Her estranged husband committed suicide after killing their teenage son, and doctors determined that Schumacher needed to be hospitalized for her own good. The judge disagreed, saying he could find no "clear and convincing evidence" the doctors were right.

Schumacher, who earlier this week complained that she and her insurer were getting billed for her unwanted treatment, tells the Free Press that she's thinking of becoming a lawyer to help make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. Her husband was a former National Guardsman, reports WCAX. He and Schumacher separated last summer after she sought court protection from domestic abuse. (More Christina Schumacher stories.)