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Legal Issues—Parents Maintaining Custody and Contact with their Children
Parents with mental illness may be quite vulnerable to losing custody of their children. Some studies have reported as many as 70 percent of parents have lost custody.6 The primary reason for custodial challenge is the stigma surrounding mental illness. Many people believe that consumers of mental health services are naturally unfit as parents. Another common misperception is that parents with mental illness are violent and are therefore at increased risk for abusing their children.
As a result, many families find themselves in a "nowin" cycle of loss. They are aware that if they openly seek help, their symptoms may give an impression of unfitness. Therefore, these families may not seek the services or supports they need, and without those services their parenting capacity is diminished. In cases where a state government determines it to be in the child's best interest to remove the child from the home, the child may end up in temporary or permanent substitute care.
Need for Integrated Services for Parents and Families
Addressing the needs of families in which a parent has a mental illness requires a shift in the way most health and human service systems operate. Providing familycentered care is essential. However, the current managed care emphasis on time-limited treatment and the narrow focus on symptom management are incompatible with a treatment approach that includes the whole family.
Treatment is most effective when multiple systems work together. For example, schools should provide more mental health consultation to students, foster social competencies, provide support for students in transition, and encourage peer support and counseling. The child welfare system could provide caseworker training related to parents with mental illness and cross-training in adult and child issues. Communities should invest in improved prenatal care and expand access to high-quality childcare to help a range of vulnerable families.
next: Impact of a Parent’s Mental Illness on Children
References:
1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Children of Parents with Mental Illness. No. 39. May, 2000.
2. Context of Parenting. May, 1998. Vol. 49. No. 5.
3. Roberta Sands. “The Parenting Experience of Low-Income Single Women with Serious Mental Disorders. Families in Society.” The Journal of Contemporary Human Services. 76 (2), 86-89. 1995.
4. Ibid.
5. Virginia Child Protection Newsletter. “Parents With Serious Mental Illness.” Vol. 56. Summer, 1999. Critical Issues For Parents With Mental Illness and Their Families. Center for Mental Health Services. July, 2001.
6. Joanne Nicholson, Elaine Sweeny, and Jeffrey Geller. Mothers With Mental Illness: II. Family Relationships and the Context of Parenting. May 1998. Vol.49. No. 5.
This fact sheet is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from The E.H.A. Foundation.
Source: Mental Health America
next: Impact of a Parent’s Mental Illness on Children
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