For Mdm Ong, who has lost both her husband and her children in one night, her change in her emotional state from being in hysterical anxiety to being calm and all smiles is indeed a cause for worry.

When interviewed by Wan Bao, a neighbour said, "The deceased's wife was calm and smiling when she appeared at the funeral procession last night and earlier this morning. She seems to have recovered from the emotional turmoil, and that does make one worry."

Mdm Ong suffered an emotional breakdown on the night of the incident; she was crying hysterically when she was identifying the body, to the extent that she needed to be carried out of the mortuary by her relatives.

She was full of tears when she was retrieving her children's items from the kindergarten and nursery yesterday morning; and while offering her prayers she was all the more crying in pain.

Between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, her emotions seem to have turned 180 degrees.

On Tuesday evening, she had a change of clothes and returned to the funeral wake during dinner time. That was then she gently nodded her head and smiled after her relatives and friends extended their regards and expressed sympathy for her.

She also had breakfast together with her husband's brother.

Another neighbour, worried about the drastic change in Mdm Ong's emotional state, was not sure if Mdm Ong had truly recovered or was hiding her tears and merely forcing a smile.

The neighbour hoped that Mdm Ong's family members would give her all the support she needed.

Smiling as a defense mechanism against depression

A psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Hong told Wan Bao that while Mdm Anni Ong was subconsciously trying to cover up her grief with smiles at the funeral, her inner self was actually complex and filled with pain especially after going through such extreme cruelty.

He was not surprised at the tremendous change in her emotional state - from being in a state of hysterical anxiety to being calm and all smiles - and believed it was a logical response.

"Initially, when she received the body, she was blaming the husband: 'If you want to die, why take the lives of our two children together?'" he said.

"Even though the feelings between them have been lost, he is nonetheless the father of the children, she can't possibly use such harsh words against someone who's already dead. Thus, from the looks of it, her inner self is filled with contradictions."

From Dr. Hong's analysis, there are two layers to the wife's grief: the first being a straightforward grief, one which stems from the direct pain a mother will feel when she loses her children, and the second a complicated grief, where her disposition to smile is closely bound up with her perplex, incomprehensible pain.

He said: "Her smile isn't faked, but rather conjured to counter against such incomprehensible grief, which is a form of defence against depression to help her feel strong about herself.

"The next six months will be a critical period for her, as it usually takes that amount of time for one to step out of such pain and grief. Should she still remain in grief after this period of time, that grief might develop into pathological grief. Hence, it is crucial that she receives the support of her family."

» See also: Photos of the funeral