How To Deal With 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.

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 They may often lose their temper and become withdrawn.

It can particularly create a lot of fear in their lives when they are exposed to abuse. This can happen in certain situations, depending on the disorder that the parent is suffering from. Of course, a child does not realize that this is part of the disorder, and they will grow up in fear. They may even think that they still have to be responsible in cooking for the parent, for example.

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.

Children can also become abusive, both verbally and physically themselves. This is something that they adopt from the parent. Sometimes it happens because they are frustrated and they will take it out on others in the school. They will start to bully others and become more aggressive. This is something for teachers to be aware of.

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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