Parent's mental health and drug/alcohol problems

These can range from mild depression and anxiety, which may be something the parent is able to deal with on their own or with help from the GP, to serious mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, and also includes drug or alcohol problems.

Many children and young people can cope with this situation if their parent is given good help, and they have support from their family and other adults. Many mentally ill parents spend a lot of energy trying to protect their children from the effects of their illness, and young people who grow up with a mentally ill parent can develop into very positive, caring and understanding adults.

However, some children and young people struggle with a range of difficulties around their parents’ mental health problems or drug and alcohol use, including the following:

• Not understanding what is happening to their parent
• Worrying that their parent’s problem is their fault
• Having to help their parent with medication or personal care
• Not being regularly looked after or cared for
• Having to look after or care for siblings
• Never knowing what mood their parent is going to be in
• Being shouted at, hit or hurt if their parent is very angry or upset
• Being scared their parent will self-harm or commit suicide
• Seeing their parent self-harming, taking drugs or drinking
• Money problems if their parent is not able to work
• Missing school if they need to look after their parent
• Being separated if their parent is in hospital or not able to look after them
• Having to go into care
• Worrying they will develop a mental health problem themselves in the future

Because of these difficulties, children and young people who have a parent with a mental illness or drug or alcohol problem are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and other problems.