Gene’s mother tried to take her life 10 times. Her struggle with her illness led to her inability to properly raise Gene. When Gene was 14, he was sent to live with his brother and sister-in law.
For such parents, daily tasks are hard to remember, can be emotionally taxing and are thus neglected. The debilitating forces of mental illness can cause children to take on abnormal levels of responsibility in caring for themselves and in managing the household. This, in turn, makes it tough on the children to have a healthy and stable childhood and produces higher probability of the children developing a mental illness.
The stigma associated with mental illness keeps parents from seeking the help they need. When these parents do seek help, as in Gene’s story, their children are removed from the home. Seventy percent of parents who seek treatment have lost custody of their children and find themselves in an unending cycle of loss.
Addressing the needs of these families requires not only personal treatment for the effected parent, but family care as well. One in four American families is affected by mental illness and as a result is more likely to be broken by divorce. Changes are needed to lower the rates of divorce and child mental illness. This is why communities should strive to improve care for these vulnerable families by creating programs that help cope with mental illness within the family, while keeping the family unit intact.
Kotulski, Tina. "Book Review." SavingMillie. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2010."Living in Chaos: Survival: Family history... The legacy of mental illness...." Schizophrenia.com, Indepth Schizophrenia Information and Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2010."Mental Health America: When a Parent Has a Mental Illness: Issues and Challenges." Mental Health America: Welcome to Mental Health America. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
