Until
recently, the focus has been on an adult daughter or son of a parent or parents with a mental illness. This is changing. So
is the terminology from the adult child of the mentally ill parent to the child of a mentally ill parent.
Since well over 50% of people who have serious mental illness are parents, bringing this to the public's attention
to the young sons and daughters is long overdue. Both the parents and the children need much support during these difficult
times, not something that has been focused on before.
BOOKS – Written for Adult Family Members
Brown, Nina W. Children
of the Self-Absorbed: A Grownup's Guide to Getting Over Narcissistic Parents. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publishers, Inc., 2001.
Donaldson-Pressman, Stephanie, Robert M. Pressman. The
Narcissistic Family: Diagnosis and Treatment. San Francisco: Josey-Bass Publishers, 1997.
Gunderson, John G. and Perry D., Ph.D. Hoffman. Understanding and Treating Borderline Personality
Disorder: A Guide for Professionals and Families
Johnson, J.T. (1988). Hidden victims: An
eight-stage healing process for families and friends of the mentally ill. New
York: Doubleday.
Lawson, Christine Ann Ph.D. and Jason Aronson. Understanding
the Borderline Mother: Helping Her Children Transcend the Intense, Unpredictable, and Volatile Relationship
Marsh, D.T., & Dickens, R. (1997). Troubled journey: Coming to terms with the mental
illness of a sibling or parent. New York: PenguinUSA.
Miklowitz, D.J. (2002). The
bipolar disorder survival guide: What you and your family need to know. New
York: Guilford Press.
Miller, Alice. The
Drama of the Gifted Child: The Search for the True Self.
This book could also have
been named The Trauma of the Gifted Child. This sort of home environment often produces people with Borderline Personality
Disorder.
Mondimore, F.M.M. (2006). Bipolar
disorder: A guide for patients and families. 2nd ed. John Hopkins Press.
Mueser, K.T., & Gingerich, S. (2006). The
complete family guide to schizophrenia: Helping your loved one get the most out of life. New
York: Guilford Press.
Nathiel, S. (2007). Daughters
of madness: Growing up and older with a mentally ill mother. Greenwood Publishing Group.
Porr, Valerie. Marsha M Linehan (forward), When Someone
You Love Has Borderline Personality Disorder:
How to Repair the Relationship
Roth, Kimberlee, Surviving a Borderline Parent: How to Heal Your Childhood Wounds & Build
Trust, Boundaries, and Self-Esteem
Tinman, Ozzie. One
Way Ticket to Kansas: Caring about Someone with Borderline Personality Disorder
and Finding a Healthy You
Torrey, E.F., & Knable, M.B. (2005). Surviving manic depression:
A manual on bipolar disorder for patients, families and providers. Basic
Books
Torrey,
E.F. (2006). Surviving schizophrenia: A manual for
families, patients and providers. (5th ed.) New York: Harper Collins.
Woolis, R. (2003). When someone you love has a
mental illness: A handbook for family, friends, and caregivers. New York:
JP Tarcher.
BOOKS for Adults – Memoirs
Braisfield, L. (2003). Nature lessons. St. Martin’s Press.
Brandon, D. (2000). In
the shadow of madness. Troy, Michigan: Sky Blue Press.
Brown, M.J., & Roberts, D.P. (2000). Growing
up with a schizophrenic mother. McFarland & Company.
Holley, T.E. (1997). My mother’s
keeper: A daughter’s memoir of growing up in the shadow of schizophrenia. New York: William Morrow & Co.
Holman, V. (2003). Rescuing Patty Hearst: Memories from a decade
gone mad. Simon & Schuster.
Kotulski, T. (2006). Saving Millie: A daughter's story of surviving schizophrenia. Madelia, MN: Extraordinary
Voices Press.
Lachenmeyer, N. (2000). The outsider: A journey into my father’s struggle with madness. New York: Broadway
Books.
Lyden, J. (1997). Daughter of the queen of Sheba. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company.
Ross, C., Balkind,
R.G., & Nelson, G. (1996). Listen
up: The lives of Quincy Jones. Warner Brothers. (also a
movie)
Rowe, P., & Rowe, J. (2005). The
best of times, the worst of times: Our family’s journey with bipolar. Allen
& Unwin.
Sexton, L.G. (1995). Searching
for mercy street: My journey back to my mother, Anne Sexton. Little
Brown & Company.
BOOKS – Written for Parents
Beardslee, W. (2003). When a parent is depressed: How to protect your children from the effects of depression in the family. Little, Brown & Company.
Beardslee, W. R. (2005). Out of
the darkened room: Protecting the children and strengthening the family when a parent is depressed.DIANE Publishing
Company.
Lawson,
Christine Ann Ph.D.
and Jason Aronson. Understanding the Borderline Mother:
Helping Her Children Transcend the Intense, Unpredictable, and Volatile Relationship
Nicholson, J., Henry, A.D., Clayfield,
J.C., & Phillips, S.M. (2001). Parenting well when you are depressed: A complete resource for maintaining a healthy family. New York: New Harbinger Publications.
Winkler, Kathy. Randi Kreger. Hope for Parents: Helping Your Borderline Son or Daughter Without Sacrificing Your Family or Yourself.
BOOKS – Written for Elementary School Age Youth
Andrews,
B. (2002). Why are you so sad? A child’s book about parental depression. New
York: Magination Press.
Campbell, B. (2003). Sometimes
my mommy gets angry. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.
Clarke, L. (2006). Wishing wellness: A workbook for children of parents with mental illness. New
York: Magination Press.
Fensham, E. (2005). Helicopter man. Bloomsbury USA (ages 5-12) [about a dad who has schizophrenia]
Kelly, Madeleine. The Rainbow Angels by is a story to help explain bipolar disorder to young children
Lewandowski,
L., & Trost, Shannon M.B. (2005). Darcy Daisy and the firefly festival program: Learning about bipolar disorder and community. Northville, MI: Ferne Press.]
Marchetta, M. (2006). Saving Francesca. Random
House Children's Books.
It tells the story of how a young boy learns to understand and cope with
his mother’s BPD illness.
Sessions, D. (1994). My
mom is different. New York: Sidran Press. (ages 4-8; about having a mom with multiple personality disorder)
Sobkiewicz, T (1994). Our
special Mom and Our
special Dad. Children of Mentally Ill Parents, P.O.
Box 7272, Pittsburg, PA 15213
Warner, S. (2001). How
to be a real person (in just one day). Knopf Books for Young Readers (Ages 4-8)
Elementary School-Age Books on Parental Trauma / PTSD
Davis, D. (1984). Something
is wrong at my house: A book about parents’ fighting. Parenting Press.
Kagan, R. (2003). Real
life heroes: A life storybook for children. Haworth Press.
Mason, P. (1992). Why is Daddy like he is? A book for kids about PTSD. Patience Press.
BOOKS - Written for Teenagers
Bellenir, K. (2006). Mental health information for
teens: Health tips about mental health and mental illness, including facts about mental and emotional health, depression and
other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, self-injury, psychosis, schizophrenia, and more. Omnigraphics.
Fischer, J. M. (2004). An egg on three sticks. St
Martin’s Press. (fictional account of a teenager girl whose mother who deals with psychotic depression)
Sherman, M.D.,
& Sherman, D.M. (2006). I’m not alone: A teen’s guide to living with a parent who has a mental illness. Edina, MN: Beaver’s
Pond Press.
Teenage-books on Parental Trauma / PTSD
Sherman,
M.D., & Sherman, D.M. (2006). Finding my way: A teen’s guide to living with a parent who has experienced trauma.
Edina, MN: Beaver’s Pond Press
BOOKS – Written for Professionals (Academic issues)
Anthony, E., & Cohler, B. (Eds.) (1987). The invulnerable child. New York: Guilford Press.
Gopfert, M., Webster, J., & Seeman,
M.V. (2004). Parental
psychiatric disorder: Distressed parents and their families. CambridgeUniversity Press.
Gunderson, John
G. and Perry D., Ph.D. Hoffman. Understanding
and Treating Borderline Personality Disorder:
A Guide for Professionals and Families
Hetherington, R., Baistow, K., Katz, I., Mesie, J., & Trowell. J. (2002). The welfare of children with mentally ill parents: Learning from inter-country
comparisons. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Marsh,
D. T. (1992) Families and mental illness: New directions in professional
practice. New York: Praeger
ARTICLES / BOOK
CHAPTERS - Written for Professionals (Academic issues)
Ackerson, B.J. (2003) Parents with
serious and persistent mental illness: Issues in assessment and services. Social
Work, 48(2), 87-94.
Beardslee, W., Gladstone, T.R.G., Wright, E.J., & Cooper, A.B. (2003). A family-based approach to the prevention of
depressive symptoms in children at risk: Evidence of parental and child change. Pediatrics,
112, 119-131.
Biebel, K., Nicholson, J., Geller, J, & Fisher, W. (2006). A
national survey of state mental health authority programs and policies for clients who are parents: A decade later.
Psychiatric Quarterly, 77(2), 119-128.
Biebel, K., Nicholson, J., & Williams, V. (2004). The Responsiveness of State Mental Health Authorities
to Parents with Mental Illness. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 32(1), 31-48.
Clark, G.N., Hornbrook,
M., Lynch, F., Polen, M., Gale, J., Beardslee, W., O’Connor, E., & Seeley, J. (2001). A randomized trial of a group cognitive intervention for preventing
depression in adolescent offspring of depressed parents. Archives
of General Psychiatry, 58(12), 1127-1134.
Crosby, D. (1989). First person account: Growing up with a schizophrenic mother. Schizophrenia
Bulletin, 15(3), 507-509.
Felsman, J.K., & Vaillant, G. (1987). Resilient children as adults: A 40 year study. In
E.J. Anthony & B. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable
child (pp. 289-314). New York: Guilford Press.
Fisher, L., Kokes,
R., Cole, R., Perkins, P. & Wynne, L. (1987) Competent children at risk: A study of well-functioning offspring of disturbed parents. In E.J. Anthony & B. Cohler (Eds.), The invulnerable child (pp. 211-228). New York: Guilford Press.
Hendrick, V. & Daly, K (2000). Parental
mental illness, In N. Halfon, E. Shulman, M. Hochstein, & M Shannon (Eds). Building Community Systems for Young Children. UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities. Available
at:http://www.healthychild.ucla.edu/publications/Documents/Parentalmental0600.pdf
Hinden, B.R., Biebel, K., & Nicholson, J. (2005). The Invisible Children's Project: Key Ingredients of an
Intervention for Parents With Mental
Illness. Journal of Behavioral Health Services &
Research, 32(4), 393-408.
Hinden, B.R., Biebel, K., & Nicholson, J. (2006). A
Survey of Programs for Parents with Mental Illness and their Families: Identifying Common Elements to Build the Evidence Base. Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 33(1),
21-38.
Joseph, J.G., Joshi, S.V, Lewin, A.B
& Abrams, M. (1999). Characteristics and perceived needs of mothers with serious mental illness.Psychiatric Services,
50, 1357-1359.
Kauffman, C., Grunebaum,
H., Cohler, B., & Gamer, E. (1979). Superkids: Competent children of psychotic mothers. American
Journal of Psychiatry, 136, 1398-1402.
Lanquetot, R. (1984). First person account:
Confessions of the daughter of a schizophrenic. Schizophrenia
Bulletin, 10(3), 467-471.
Lanquetot, R. (1988) First person account: On being daughter and mother. Schizophrenia
Bulletin, 14(2), 337-341.
Mullick, M., Miller, L., & Jacobsen, T. (2001). Insight into mental illness and child maltreatment risk among mothers with major psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric Services, 52(4), 488-492.
N.A.M.I of California (1996). Offspring issue. The Journal. 7(3).
Nicholson, J., Biebel, K., Hinden, B., Henry, A.D., & Stier,
L. (2001). Critical issues for parents with mental illness and their families. Center for Mental Health Services Research, University
of Massachusetts Medical School.
Nicholson, J., Mason, M.W. & Calabresi,
A.O. (1999). Fathers with severe mental illness: Characteristics and comparisons. American Journal
of Orthopsychiatry, 69(1), 134-141.
Nicholson, J., Sweeney, E.M. & Geller, J.L. (1998). Mothers with mental illness: I. The competing demands of parenting and living with mental
illness. Psychiatric Services,
49(5), 635-642.
Nicholson, J., Sweeney, E.M. & Geller, J.L. (1998). Mothers with mental illness: II. Family relationships and the context of parenting. Psychiatric Services,
49(5), 643-649.
Riebschleger, J. (2004). Good days and bad days:
The experiences of children of a parent with a psychiatric disability. Psychiatric
Rehabilitation Journal, 28 (1), 25-31.
Schene, A., Wijngaarden,
B.V., & Koeter, M.W.J. (1998). Family caregiving in schizophrenia: Domains and distress. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 24(4), 609-618.
WEBSITES
Children of Parents with a Mental Illness - Children Caring for
Parents with Severe and Enduring Mental Illness, Evidence Paper no. 5 of the Young Carers Research Group, Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University.
Findings of a two year study by the Young Carers Research Group (in partnership with Rethink,
formerly National Schizophrenia Fellowship) which looks at the experiences and needs of children who care for parents with
mental illness, their caring and filial relationships and the nature of professional interventions in these families.
COMIC - Children of Mentally Ill Consumers
COPMI: Children of Parents with a Mental Illness
National Network of Adult and Adolescent Children who have a Mentally Ill Parent/s – Australia
Helping Children Understand Mental Illness: A Resource For Parents And Guardians (A project of the Mental
Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania)
Supporting Families with Parental Mental Illness: A Community Education and Development Workshop Manual (British Columbia Schizophrenia Society)
Invisible Children’s Project
Parenting Well Project – Joanne Nicholson,
PhD
NAMI - Daughters and Sons of Parents with Mental Illness
Psychological first aid (manual from the National
child Traumatic Stress Network)
Helping children cope with the challenges of war and terrorism [manual for kids ages
7-12] By Annette M. LaGreca, Ph.D. et al
VIDEOS/MOVIES
Canvas (2006) .
I love You Like Crazy: Being a Parent with Mental Illness by Mental Illness Education
Project Videos,
Out of the Shadow (2006). Susan Smiley
Tarnation (2003).
OUT OF PRINT Resources:
Books for Adults and Memoirs:
Hillman. J. (1997) Sweet mystery: A southern
memoir of family alcoholism, mental illness, and recovery. New York:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
Secunda, V. (1997). When
madness comes home: Help and hope for the children, siblings, and partners of the mentally ill. New
York: Hyperion.
Sheffield, A. (2005). Sorrow’s
web: Overcoming the legacy of maternal depression. DIANE Publishing Company.
For Elementary School Youth:
Chaplan, R. (1991). Tell me a story, paint me the
sun: When a girl feels ignored by her father. New York: Magination Press.
Denboer, H. (1993). Please don’t cry, Mom. Lerner Publishing
Group.
Goldman,
L. (1998). Bart speaks out: Breaking the silence on suicide. Manson Western Corporation.
Hamilton, M. (1995). Sad
days, glad days: A story about depression. Albert Whitman.
Laskin, P.L. & Moskowitz,
A.A. (1991). Wish upon
a star: A story for children with a parent who is mentally ill. New York: MaginationPress.
Haugen, T. (1982). The night birds. Dell Publishing. (ages 9-11). (Norwegian boy deals with his dad’s
psychiatric condition)
Pinkwater, D. (1989). Uncle
Melvin. Simon & Schuster. (ages 5-8; about an uncle who has a mental illness and
lives in a residential program)
Sanford, D. (1993). It won't last forever:
A child's book about living with a depressed parent. Multnomah Publishers,
Inc. (ages 5-11)
Wolitzer, H. (1978). Toby lived here. New York:
Farrar, Straus & Giroux. (young boy goes to
foster care during mom’s psychiatric admission)
For Teenagers:
Diner,
S.H. (1989). Nothing
to be ashamed of: Growing up with mental illness in your family. New
York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.
Foster, C. (1994). Out of the jungle: A survival guide with COMPASS. Dilligaf Publishing.
Johnson, J.T. (1989).Understanding mental illness:
For teens who care about someone with a mental illness. Lerner
Publishing.
Naylor, P. (1986). The
keeper. New York: Atheneum. (fictional account
of a teenager’s dad who develops mental illness) (grades 7-9)
Riley, J. (1986). Crazy quilt. Bantam Doubleday.
Riley, J. (1982). Only
my mouth is smiling. HarperCollins Publisher.
Ross, A.J. (2001). Coping when a parent is mentally ill. The Rosen Publishing Group.
INTERNATIONAL Resources:
For Professionals:
Cowling,
V. (2004). Children of parents with mental illness 2: Personal and clinical perspectives. Australian Council for Educational Research, Ltd.
Memoirs:
Camden-Pratt, C. (2006). Out of the shadows: Daughters growing up with a 'mad' mother. Sydney, Australia:
Finch Publishing.]
For Elementary School Youth:
Brindamour, L. (2001). Someone in my family has a mental illness: A workbook. Family Services of the North Shore, British Columbia. (ages 7-13).
Ironside, V. (2003). The wise mouse. London: YoungMinds. (story about
a young girl whose mom has a mental illness; for 5-11 year olds )
http://www.youngminds.org.uk/publications/other/wisemouse.php
SANE Australia. You're not alone: SANE
guide for children.
For Teenagers:
SANE Australia. Joe’s diary: A sane guide
for young people
