What To Do About Children Of Parents With Mental Illness Disorders

By Rebecca Kelly


When a person has a mental illness, such as bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder, it is sometimes difficult for them to cope with the situation. However, children who are exposed to this will also have a tough time growing up in the home. Children of parents with mental illnesses need to deal with certain issues that are bothering them.

It can be difficult for a child to take responsibility for some of these problems on their own. They often have to play the role of the parent. Many parents have serious problems where they are not able to cope. Depression, for example can cause people to basically sleep all day and it makes children feel as if they are neglected and abandoned.

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 They may often lose their temper and become withdrawn.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.

When kids grow up, they will find that they have a lot of issues to deal with. They may be suffering with a lot of neglect in their life. They won't know who to trust. They will have problems with relationships, and this causes a lot of complications in their life. They may also find that their job is not yet done and they still need to take care of the parent in their adult life.

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.

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.

They can start to become anxious and depressed, not knowing what to do or where to turn. Panic disorders can develop later on in life and this is why it is so important that children are able to talk about these problems. The spouse should help their child in this regard, otherwise they are not going to enjoy a healthy childhood.




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