Other Gypsy Rose had options.

[Bun]

First off, I have no idea what I'd do or how I'd act in her situation. Wanted to make that very clear. But watching the show, comparing it to actual real-life details; she really did not have to kill her mother. Or rather, get someone else to kill her mother. She could have walked (literally) right outside, and told someone that her mother was feeding her so many medications she didn't need that her teeth were falling out, she's actually 18+ years old, she's not sick at all, and she can walk. Why didn't she?

 

[AlexRex]

First off, I have no idea what I'd do or how I'd act in her situation. Wanted to make that very clear. But watching the show, comparing it to actual real-life details; she really did not have to kill her mother. Or rather, get someone else to kill her mother. She could have walked (literally) right outside, and told someone that her mother was feeding her so many medications she didn't need that her teeth were falling out, she's actually 18+ years old, she's not sick at all, and she can walk. Why didn't she?

Ask her

 

[Shibe]

Well, I partially kind of think it’s because she had no where else to go. Really, if she had ran away, her mother probably would have just called the police to hunt her down and feed them lies about her condition. Most likely would have just made up some mental illness or behavior issues to counteract against any confessions Gypsy would have made about her mother. As well as if she ran off to tell any neighbors, her mother would just feed them lies as well and say her daughter was delusional.

Her mother was quite the master manipulator, and even avoided the hands of social services and concerned doctors multiple times.

That, and her father was out of the picture. She was unable to contact him to receive any help whatsoever, mostly because her mother made her believe he didn’t care about her.

Though, this can’t justify actions.​

 

[Pandaskel]

First off, I have no idea what I'd do or how I'd act in her situation. Wanted to make that very clear. But watching the show, comparing it to actual real-life details; she really did not have to kill her mother. Or rather, get someone else to kill her mother. She could have walked (literally) right outside, and told someone that her mother was feeding her so many medications she didn't need that her teeth were falling out, she's actually 18+ years old, she's not sick at all, and she can walk. Why didn't she?

Martin Seligman, the father of positive psychology, has this theory called "learned helplessness". He found that, when dogs were kept in captivity with no means of escape, they eventually stopped trying to even when escape was possible. He called this learned helplessness and believes the same thing happens when people find themselves in abusive situations or when they deal with a mental illness. Things don't get better, so you stop trying to make them better.

Yeah, she didn't have to kill her mother. That's what we, rationally thinking people in non-fucked up living situations, realize. You're right, you don't know what you would do in her situation because you're not. I'm not justifying murder, but I am defending someone who was literally raised a victim from childhood.