How To Deal With Children Of Parents With Mental Illness Disorders

By Rebecca Kelly


Children need to feel as if they are loved and cared for. Most parents make sure that they are in the most suitable environment where they can have a healthy childhood. However, children of parents with mental illness really struggle in a number of different areas, and need to reach out to someone for support.

These kids often don't grow up living as a normal child. They may act as the parent, cooking the meals and attending to younger siblings. It can cause chaos and friction within the home. Very often, the spouse of the parent dealing with the disorder does not act in a responsible manner. They have a lot on their plate and turn to drugs and drinking as well.

It can create a lot of stress and sometimes fear in the home. This especially relates to a parent who has borderline personality disorder. They may change in an instant. The child is not sure what to expect and this can make them anxious. It can affect their grades at school and their behavior will also start to change.

It can particularly create a lot of fear in their lives when they are exposed to abuse. This can happen in certain situations, depending on the disorder that the parent is suffering from. Of course, a child does not realize that this is part of the disorder, and they will grow up in fear. They may even think that they still have to be responsible in cooking for the parent, for example.

The spouse may send the children to another relative or a grandparent when the situation becomes worse. This is not always the best thing because children are aware of what is going on. Parents try and hide this, and children will then have issues with trust, especially with authority figures which can play a part in their adult lives.

Sometimes the illness will be less of a strain where it will play a part in the home from time to time. The spouse will try and hide this from the the child in order to protect them. In some cases, they will send them to a relative. However, children are quick to pick up on something and will realize that there is a problem.

One should think before separating the child from the family because this can create a lot of problems for them later on in life. They will feel as if they were abandoned. They may feel as if it were their fault. One has to make this clear in the beginning. If they have to go somewhere else, the family has to make this the transition as smooth as possible for them.

Psychotherapy will be helpful at this stage of a child's life. It means that they don't have to battle later on in life when they are married and have children of their own. During this time, a therapist will be able to listen to child as they express themselves. This can be so helpful, especially since most kids feel that nobody is able to listen to them. A therapist can also refer a child to a play therapist who can work with them in a more creative fashion. Sometimes they need to express themselves in this way in order to let out all of the emotions.




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