Wednesday, August 3, 2016

What To Do About 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.

Kids, who have to deal with this, will also find that they become depressed and anxious themselves. A lot of children don't know what to do and are fearful that they are going to be separated from their parents. Fear creeps in when parents become angry due to a disorder like this. They may often lose their temper and become withdrawn.

Life at home is always very stressful and it can create a lot of friction. The parent is unable to take care of the child. They won't be able to pick them up at school or attend school functions. The child may even have to cook the meals. In most cases, a child is too afraid to confide in another adult, such as a teacher.

They may not get a lot of support from the other parent, who can also be suffering. There are spouses who don't take responsibility for the situation. They may find that it is better to allow someone who is depressed to sleep all day. However, this does not help a child feel as if they are loved. Someone with this sort of problem needs to seek counseling.

Family therapy is a good option because everyone will be able to find out more about the mental illness and how they can deal with it. The other parent should learn to spend more time with the child. One should also be able to find someone to help take care of the parent who is suffering from the mental disorder so that the child is not struggling as much.

On top of this, children may be faced with a lot of other issues in their life. Parents who have certain mental illnesses can become aggressive and abusive. They will let this out on their kids. Young ones will live in fear. Parents can be loving the one minute and the next minute they will become enraged. This develops an ambivalence in the relationship.

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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