Parents with Mental Illness

by Rethink

Introduction

Being a parent with mental illness can be both challenging and rewarding. People often stigmatise and assume that children born to people with mental illness will experience social and emotional difficulties, that they may be abused or neglected. But parents with mental illness can be good parents if they receive appropriate support.

Children with a parent with mental illness have a slightly higher risk of developing mental illness than children born to parents without it. This risk is even higher if both parents have a mental illness.

How Mental Illness Impacts Upon Parenting Capacity

Appropriate care and support should be provided to the family as part of the care programme. This approach can help to minimise any potential problems. But some of the following difficulties may arise (it is important to remember that children are each unique and may be affected in different ways, and individual children may be affected differently at different developmental stages).

* The mental illness of a parent may put stress on the relationships within a family and this may adversely affect a child;

* Harm to child resulting from parent's symptoms e.g delusions involving the child, inability to meet physical needs, suicidal thinking including the child;

* Children may face boundary and reality issues because of the ways in which their parents' functioning is affected;

* Care may be unpredictable and inconsistent, leading to attachment and behaviour issues;

* Some parents with schizophrenia may find emotional and physical closeness to their child to be difficult. Parents who find closeness difficult may benefit from training in the expression of positive emotions;

* Children may have to take on responsibilities in their family that are inappropriate for their age;

* Stigma of mental illness may lead to isolation;

* Children's social interactions may be restricted as a result of the thoughts and behaviours of parents with mental illness. Conversely, social interactions may be delegated to the child;

* Parents who feel lethargic and listless may find it difficult to provide stimulation, motivation and inspiration for their child. Anti-psychotic medications may increase lethargy and listlessness. So the most appropriate treatment needs to be found for the person concerned and dosage & side-effects of medication should be carefully monitored and adjusted;

* Parents with mental illness who experience fears may pass these fears to their children. Such fears may lead to the child behaving abnormally or the parent behaving inappropriately towards the child;

* Hospitalisation of a parent with mental illness disrupts the child's life. Stable and supportive relationships with other adults are therefore important;

* If a parent is temporarily or permanently unable to look after a child, the other parent or a member of the extended family may take on responsibility for childcare. Children may be taken into care if no family member is able to care for the child;

* Parents are fearful that children will be removed and are thus fearful of asking for help;

Positive, Protective Factors

As well as support for the family from the relevant agencies, children of parents with mental illness may be helped by:

* Knowledge that their parent(s) has to cope with a condition and that they are not to blame in any way;

* Help and support from family members;

* A stable home environment;

* A sense of being loved by the ill parent;

* A naturally stable and happy personality in the child;

* Positive self esteem;

* Inner strength and good coping skills in the child;

* A strong relationship with a healthy adult;

* Friendships, positive peer relationships;

* Interest in and success at school;

* Healthy interests outside the home for the child;

* Help from outside the family to improve the family environment; and

* Parenting, education and support;

Childcare in the Early Months

The period following the birth of a child is characterised for many mothers by low spirits, low confidence and little energy. For mothers with schizophrenia this can escalate into psychosis. Mental health professionals should monitor mothers at this stage and review treatment to overt deterioration into psychosis.

Infancy

Parents of infants may need assistance from childcare and home help services, and will also benefit from parenting classes and contact with other parents. With this support they can make good parents.

Range Of Parenting Capacity

Though some parents coping with mental illness may find it difficult to be a 'good' parent, perhaps being unable to care for their children satisfactorily because of their symptoms or even inclined to neglect them, many others will be good parents. This is the same range of parenting abilities found in parents without mental illness. Parents with mental illness should benefit from support and education services that take an integrated approach to the care and treatment of the adult with mental illness and the care of the children.

Might Children Of A Parent With Mental Illness Be Taken Into Care?

You may be concerned that a child (perhaps not yet born) may be taken into care by a local authority. In Rethink's experience, some authorities are far more likely to do this than to put in the necessary support, while others only take a child into care if there is no other alternative. If the mother to be or other relatives need expert legal advice about care issues, this can be obtained by contacting FRG, the Family Rights Group, tel [phone] (Monday - Friday, 1.30- 3.30pm.).

About the Author

www.rethink.org
Rethink is the largest severe mental illness charity in the UK. We are dedicated to improving the lives of everyone affected by severe mental illness, whether they have a condition themselves, care for others who do, or are professionals or volunteers working in the mental health field.