What To Do About Children Of Parents With Mental Illness Disorders

By Rebecca Kelly


Dealing with a mental disorder can take a great deal of strain on the family. This can especially be stressful for the family. Children of parents with mental illness can often grow up with a lot that they have to deal with, and this is why they should have the support that they need. However, it is not always easy to find.

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.

Children start to withdraw from other family members because of the situation. They usually don't have friends and become isolated. This can cause other disorders and issues to develop in their adult lives. Some of these memories will be repressed until much later in their life. However, it is something that they have to deal with.

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.

Children can also become abusive, both verbally and physically themselves. This is something that they adopt from the parent. Sometimes it happens because they are frustrated and they will take it out on others in the school. They will start to bully others and become more aggressive. This is something for teachers to be aware of.

There are a few simple things that one can do in order for the child to feel more settled in their environment. A child feels comfortable when there is routine in the home. This is something that the family can provide with the help of a counselor that is more practical in the way in which they work with the family.

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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