Search results for ‘Subject term:"mental health problems"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 2 of 2
Caring for children of parents with mental health problems - a venture into historical and cultural processes in Europe
- Authors:
- SOLANTAUS Tytti, PURAS Dainius
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 12(4), November 2010, pp.27-36.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article discusses the European initiative Work Package 5 (WP5), a part of the CAMHEE programme, which was designed to bring children and families with parental mental illness onto the European agenda. Parental mental health problems are a major risk for children’s adverse development. Intergenerational mental health issues often leads to social marginalisation and exclusion, which constitutes a serious social problem. WP5 participants included Austria, Bulgaria, Finland, Lithuania, Norway and Romania. The WP5 emphasised that it is important for every country to learn what the legal, human rights, and service and life situation is for these children and families and to take preventive and promotion action. The paper suggests that, to avoid further stigmatisation, awareness campaigns and training of professionals should capitalise on resilience and support for children and parenting rather than on risks. Psychiatric services for adults should respond to the needs for care and support of the patients' children. Finally, changes in society are needed, including redirecting legislation from restrictive measures towards promotion and prevention.
Safety, feasibility and family experiences of preventive interventions for children and families with parental depression
- Authors:
- SOLANTAUS Tytti, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 11(4), November 2009, pp.15-24.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Depression is frequent among parents, and children with depressed parents have an elevated risk for psychiatric disorders. This report describes and details one phase of the development and implementation of a country-wide preventive programme for children of parents with depression in Finland. This national effort first focused on developing programmes for children with depressed parents, and was later expanded to include families with parents who have a variety of mental and other health conditions. Using a sample of 119 single and dual parent families, the preventive interventions aims were ‘to support positive self-understanding in the parents’, ‘to support mutual understanding in the family’, ‘to support positive parenting’, ‘to support future orientation in the family’, and ‘to identify children who need additional services’. Concluding that parents in treatment for depression are relieved if they are offered opportunities to discuss their children and learn how to support them, despite depression, and that clinicians in psychiatric services to adults can be trained to conduct discussions about parenting and children, the authors demonstrate that child-centred preventive interventions can be carried out in real-life conditions in psychiatric services for adults.