Being the Child of a Parent with a Mental Illness

In the United States there has been increasingly more conversations about mental illnesses. In some cultural communities, it is a taboo to speak about mental illness. This needs to change. More discussion on mental illnesses can help people get the treatment they need. Discrimination against the mentally ill needs to stop as well. The more discrimination people with mental illnesses face, the less likely they will be to interact with society which can potentially worsen their mental state. The absences of fathers and father figures is an ongoing issue which some predict might not slow down any time soon. The research previously mentioned comes to a general consensus that the absence of fathers and father figures are taking a toll on the lives of young children which can affect them later on in life. With that being said, it is important that present fathers maintain the relationships they currently have with their children and that mothers find a well-equipped person to be a father figure in their children

Family is also another common strength that can also be a separate individual’s weakness. There is convincing evidence that suggests adolescent depression is largely linked with family environment. This is due to factors such as abuse, neglect, abandonment, mental illness within the household, family conflict, stress and breakdown. As the initial stages of an adolescent’s development is continuously spent with the family, family are therefore the largest factor in defining the individual’s mental health. Although family may be the greatest risk factor, family may also be the most influential strength and protecting factor of adolescent mental health. Families with close relationships provide; increased trustworthiness and openness, feelings of worth and belonging, support, and acceptance. These contrasting statements reaffirm that everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and therefore needs different and individualised care from the nurse (Power, Allan & Robinson,

may grow up thinking that it is the normal way of life for everyone. They may think this

“The Medicated Child” sheds light on the dangers and risks associated with children who are put on behavioral-modifying medications. These are issues that parents may not take into consideration when attempting to establish a healthy state of mind for their child. It is estimated that five million children in America have been diagnosed with some form of mental illness. Behavioral disorders are on the rise as each year another 20% of children will be diagnosed. (MedWeb, 2015) Whereas parents tend to turn to their child’s doctor for advice, this may produce a biased resolution that could even be fatal. In “The Medicated Child” we listen to parents who live through this nightmare and the doctors that play a major role in their child’s quality of life.

Children’s mental illness affects approximately one fifth of youth worldwide, and although it is the children who experience symptoms directly, implications associated with mental illness can impact entire families (Richardson, Cobham, McDermott & Murray, 2013). As such, healthcare systems are being redesigned to include a focus on family-centeredness. In the case of children’s mental health specifically, family-centered coordinated care represents an understanding of treatment, not only derived from the child’s experience, but also from the parents’ and caregivers’ perspectives (Olin, Hemmelgarn, Madenwald, & Hoagwood, 2015). Unlike other interventions in children’s mental health, this treatment approach acknowledges the vital role that families play in promoting the health and wellbeing of children, and it serves to empower family members by including them in treatment practices and decision-making processes (McGinty, Worthington, & Dennison, 2008; Olin et al., 2015). Through this collaborative approach to children’s mental health, partnerships can be established among health care providers, patients, and families, who each contribute to continued stabilization (Johnson, 2000; McGinty et al., 2008). Moreover, family-centered coordinated care serves to link children and adolescents with appropriate treatment interventions, while correspondingly introducing families to resources that foster parental

Challenges due to poverty could be addressed by providing financial assistance, food, and clothing. Time spent with parents is essential when dealing with children who have behavioral issues because parents or guardians may not have the funds or time to spend with their children due to other obligations needed to support the family. Parents and guardians play a major role in helping children grow and develop to their fullest potential. As children grow, they depend on their parents or guardians for basic needs and support such as food, shelter, education, protection, and care. During their life difficulties and times of crisis, they depend on family for guidance. Mental disorders in childhood and adolescence can

Families are often the main support system for people affected by mental illness. If a

The research I have uncovered from talking with people who cope with a mental illness have had an either traumatic or rough childhood. They have faced hardships such as death in the family, parental substance abuse, or molestation. Some hardships have been the cause of their substance abuse and/or depression while others have always had the illness (such as bi polar disorder) but lacked others understanding and medical intervention.

This brings out the struggles of the family members who become caregivers to the mentally ill. "Anger, guilt, shame and other negative emotions- reinforced by society's continual stigma about mental illness may hobble families' abilities to support patients." NAMI has the answer to help those caregivers, a free twelve-week program called, Family to Family Education Program. Dr. Joyce Burland developed this program after she had an experience with a mentally ill family member. “ A core concept of the course is that severe mental illness is traumatic for both the patient and the family.” NAMI has offered this program going on twenty years now and has gone through the “gold standard” medical research and has been found to “significantly improves family members’ ability to cope by increasing their knowledge about and acceptance of mental illness.”

Most research that has been conducted has shown that this is an illness that is usually inherited. Someone that has a relative that has schizophrenia that they are closely related to has a greater chance to inherit it than someone who does not have any relatives with the illness. Idententical twins have also been studied and found that “an identical twin of a person with schizophrenia has the highest risk 40 to 50 percent of developing illness. A child whose parent has schizophrenia has about a 10 percent chance” (Mentalhealth.com, Leonard Holmes). This all connects to the biological aspect of having this disorder but other issues that have been connected to people with schizophrenia are prenatal complications. A study by Thomas F. McNeil and Elizabeth Cantor-Graae, was done to analyze the

One of biological explanations for schizophrenia is Gotessman (1991) theory. He proved that the probability that a patient's sibling becomes ill with schizophrenia is 9%. If both parents have a schizophrenic then there is a 46 % probability that their children will be also ill. Tienari (2000) analysed 361 Finnish children where 164 biological mothers has schizophrenia. It turned out that there is a high probability of schizophrenia in children adopted, but it is about 20% increased when adoptive families have experienced relationship disorders (child has been stressed). (Cardwell, 2012)

The risk of schizophrenia is increased in biologic relatives whom have schizophrenia (Comer, 371). The risk of schizophrenia in first-degree relatives of persons with schizophrenia is 10% (NIHM). There is a 40% chance of having schizophrenia if both parents have it. (NIHM) “Concordance for schizophrenia is

When individuals are young they are molded by what they are taught, what is heard, and what is seen. Growing up in a household with a mentally ill mother challenges everything that is considered to be normal; especially when the mental illness isn’t discovered until it's too

Few can question the observable rise of diagnosed mental disorders in recent times. Just decades ago, certain children were just “odd” and didn’t receive special treatment. Now, parents scrutinize their children to determine if the mental disorder “epidemic” has too struck their family. In the ever-changing field of psychology, one common is emerging. More and more people are becoming diagnosed with mental disorders. In the attempt to explain this, doctors and scientists have fallen on both sides of the issue. Some believe that mental conditions really are on the rise. Others demand that more factors are involved. The rapid increase in diagnosis of people with minor mental disorders and their medication is not justified and has led

The researchers (Reising, et al., 2013) demonstrated parents who suffered from depression as well as financial hardship did not have a great relationship with their children impacting their psychopathology internally and externally. Thus (Reising, et al., 2013) revealed there are countless children living in the United States surrounded by triggers that may direct them to apprehension, for instance, parents who have suffered or are still suffering from compulsive dejection, financial economic hardship, and parents who are neglectful are a few characteristics that can and may influence children and adolescent to stress leading them to behave in a manner that is not aligned with their community. The following research article are in accordance with the previous literature review relating to parental stress and depression does have an influence on children’s behavior: