Invisible Children's Project

Children of Parents with Mental Illness are Often "Invisible"

Families in which a parent has a mental illness or co-occurring disorders often have unmet service needs that can lead to family instability and disruption.  Mental illness and co-occurring disorders, moreover, may be linked to an individual's past or present experiences with trauma (emotional, sexual, and/or physical abuse).

Service systems traditionally view adults with mental illness or co-occurring disorders in complete isolation of their children, and thus do not provide comprehensive, integrated services that could enhance family stability and self-determination.

As treatment in the community for persons with serious and persistent mental illness began to replace long-term hospitalization, mental health consumers started living lives that included being involved in intimate relationships and parenting children.  Consumers, however, were usually not asked if they had children upon admission to psychiatric facilities and children were not permitted to visit their parents hospitalized in state-operated psychiatric facilities. Outpatient services were designed with no child care, and psychiatric rehabilitation technology was developed without incorporating parenting goals. Parents also legitimately feared that their children would be removed and placed into foster care.

The children of parents who have mental illness or who have co-occurring disorders are often "invisible" to many mental health service providers.

Parents living with mental illness, or co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders, face the same challenges that all parents face:

  • Housing
  • Employment
  • Money management
  • Transportation
  • Child care

They also face challenges specific to their mental illness and/or co-occurring disorders:

  • Medication
  • Hospitalization
  • Relationships with helpers
  • Stigma (including the belief that people with mental illness should not have or raise children)

Contact Us
For more information about the Invisible Children's Project, check out www.nmha.org or contact:

The National Mental Health Association (NMHA)
2001 N. Beauregard Street, 12th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22311
1-800-969-6642
TTY: (800) 433-5959
www.nmha.org

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