Parental mental illness: the effects on children and their needs

Abstract

Parental mental health problems can have a major impact on children and studies indicate that they increase the risk of children developing behavioural, social, emotional and educational problems (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2004). While this impact has been acknowledged for some time, there appear to be few interventions in the UK to help reduce the effect that parental mental illness has on children. This article discusses the impact of parental mental illness on children and gives examples of interventions that have been found to be useful in other countries. Potential interventions that mental health services in the UK could adopt are also discussed.