Critical Issues for Parents with Mental Illness and their Families

Overview

Our task is to integrate the knowledge regarding parents with mental illness and their families as the first step in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) knowledge development and application process. We delineate the scope of the problem; describe the experiences of parents with mental illness in their families, and in relation to providers and service systems; evaluate the current research on outcomes for children; outline major policy and practice issues; explore relevant findings from other systems and fields; describe interventions; and make recommendations for action by policy makers, providers, advocates, parents and family members. We address the following questions:

Who are parents with mental illness and their families?
What do we know about the experiences of adults with mental illness who are parents? What are their needs? What are the barriers to meeting their needs?
What is the impact on children of having a parent with mental illness?
How do federal, state and local policies and practices affect these families?
What can we learn from other service systems and fields to inform our research, policies and practice?
Are there effective program models to enhance outcomes for parents and their offspring?
What steps can stakeholders take to promote positive outcomes for parents and children?

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