Mental Illness Affects Numerous Individuals In America,

Mental illness affects numerous individuals in America, with nearly 43.8 million adults in America living with a serious illness (Mental health facts in America, n.d). Many of these adults suffering with a mental illness also play the role of a mother, father, or caregiver. According to Costea (2011), â€Å"†¦31% of American women and about 17% of men have a 12-month prevalence of at least one psychiatric disorder, and of those 65% are mothers and 52% are fathers†. However, research focuses on the individuals suffering from a mental illness, and often overlooks the patient’s children and the distress the parents’ mental illnessmay cause on their children. Children of parents with a mental illness deal with a complex life that is filled with†¦show more content†¦According to Hayman (2009), â€Å"A curious role reversal [occurs], children who have a mentally ill parent are often the [caregiver] with all the strains and difficulties this entails and might have the added emotional strain of feeling as if they have lost their parent† (p. 268). From a young age the child is asked to play the role of a parent to their mentally ill parent. According to Hayman (2009), children of mentally ill parents are pressured to mature at a young age in order to care for their parent’s wellbeing. They feel compelled to perform tasks that many adults would find overwhelming like: housekeeping duties, assisting with appointments and medication regimens, witnessing parents’ difficult and bizarre behavior, and exposure to their parents’ inappropriate emotional venting (Hayman, 2009). The parent being physically unavailable to the child can leave the child feeling uncared for, which can cause the parent-child relationship to fall apart (Sherman, 2007). Furthermore, the parent-child relationship can be affected by the parents unpredictable behavior that can cause the parent to treat their children differently, which can crea te thoughts of confusion, helplessness, and disappointment in children (Santvoort, Hosman, Doesum, Janssens, 2013; Sherman, 2007). The unpredictable behaviors that interrupt the parent-child bond are detachment, physical separation, and emotional numbing.Show MoreRelatedAbnormal Psychology and Therapy: Physical Illnesses and Disorders1228 Words   |  5 PagesTherapy If you have an infection, you go to the doctor. There are many different treatments for any number of physical illnesses and disorders, but what if the illness or disorder is in your mind? 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