Mentally ill parents can pass on problems
A third of children whose parents suffer from a mental illness will show signs of an emotional or behavioral disorder because of parental neglect, according to data from health officials. Experts said that 70 to 80 percent of mentally ill parents also have a higher chance of losing custody of their children and seeing their marriages end in divorce. At a recent presentation at the Melia home, a center for youngsters aged 5 to 12 whose parents suffer from mental problems, experts said that the children there often spend much of their time and energy on surviving in an unstable household environment. The children often feel guilty for their parents’ conditions, adopt a parental role themselves or try to get attention with bad behavior, psychiatrists added.
