Research 80 Percent!

[trying2movefwd]

80 percent of parents with mental health disabilities lose custody of their children! This saddens and angers me. My children are my life. I guess I should reconsider disability and maybe try working for the 3rd time this year. Ugh. Just ranting. My kids help me know I have purpose.

 

[GWhizz]

I wonder what exactly those statistics are reflecting? PTSD would only be a small percentage of that figure so don't assume it's in anyway relevant to you.

For example, my uncle and his partner had their child taken into care the minute he was born. They were in no way functional as parents. They had schizophrenia and other difficulties.

I have PTSD yet I work full-time, study and am raising 2 kids. Even if I needed to take time off on disability or abscence leave etc, the care of my children could only be called into question if there was a specific child welfare or child protection suspicion/issue.

Don't let non specific data like this drag you down.

 

[Justmehere]

It's great to keep custody of kids, and be thankful for them. I imagine it can be a great motivating factor.

Where do you get that statistic? What was the context of this stat?

I found this stat alarming, as it implies that most people with mental illness can't safely raise children. It takes some really serious danger for a child to be taken away from a parent, and that stat implies most people with mental illness can't ensure a child's basic safety. That's a serious claim. So I looked into the data on this a little more myself. I could not find anything that supported that 80% of parents with a mental illness lose custody, but I'd be interested in reading more about where this stat came from.

I did find other data that was encouraging.

According to WHO (World Health Organization), 1 in 4 people are affected by a mental health condition. (http://www.who.int/whr/2001/media_centre/press_release/en/)

I found a study showed that for parents with severe mental illness, loss of contact or custody of children correlated with active substance abuse, and not actually mental illness. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2790143/) It was not a very big study, but it did give some interesting findings. I found other studies that indicated the same.

There is also a difference between mental illness generally, and severe mental illness. While 25% of the population has mental illness, only 4.1% has severe mental illness. Of those people, with SEVERE mental illness, about 50% lose custody at some point, and only about 12% percent are the primary caregivers. (http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/29/what-happens-when-mentally-ill-people-have-children/) But that's for "severe" mental illness... This is defined in a lot of different ways, but it usually implies a GAF (Global Assessment of Functioning) score that is very low and is not the majority of people with a mental illness.

Overall, when we speak of all mental illness, about 1 in 6 parents have a mental illness but the vast majority are not losing custody of those kids because of that mental illness. Link Removed (This was an Australian study)

I found this article to be the most interesting, written by an attorney about how parents can lose custody: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacqueline-harounian/how-mothers-lose-custody_b_1140298.html

Being mentally ill and refusing to get help, along with many other factors, can be a path to lose custody in a contested divorce setting, but that's different than saying that 80% of parents with a mental illness lose custody of their kids generally.

 

[trying2movefwd]

I had read about it in about 3 links from a google search. 3 in a row. I looked into my particular state information. I don't know what social security considers severe, but i am diagnosed with Severe major depression recurrent and "very bad ptsd" according to my psychiatrist. She said disability would help me take care of my children. A friend of mine asked if I could lose custody of my children if I ended up doing that. My first thought was "no" and then I thought I better look into it. It sounds crazy but although challenging I can care for my children and take care of my home. Once the stress of a job is included I begin losing my kudos and falling apart. I really don't understand it. Without working I have good and bad days. Also my treatment team all mentions the severity of my dissacosiation. That's what scares me. However I have raised these children in an even worse condition. They are now 6 and 8 years old. I am getting lots of treatment now, more present than ever. Also what scares me is that altogether in patient and outpatient mental health hospitalizations have totaled about 9 in the last 13 months. In my defense some of those were a result of domestic violence, living in a shelter, and intense anxiety because I had learned that my x had been abusing my children as well. Also I fell apart when a best friend/cousin took his life. I have never been in psychosis though. I am simply afraid and am not sure what to do.

 

[trying2movefwd]

It's great to keep custody of kids, and be thankful for them. I imagine it can be a great motivating...

The article from the Huffington post describes my x almost to a T. He did lose custody.

 

[mamachick]

Try not to panic. There are stats for all kinds of things and are often manipulated. Most courts feel that children are best with parents when possible, do not have homes for the many in desperate need of foster families, and social workers have too heavy case loads to even do the job when it is actually necessary, unfortunately. You need to focus on doing what is best for you and your parenting will be so much better than if you press yourself beyond your limits.

I was very sick with CFIDS, and fibromyalgia and herniated discs when my children were babies. I was exhausted and my children are what forced me to face my limitations which made me a much better mother for them. There are so many with mental health issues that provide wonderful care for their children.

 

[trying2movefwd]

@brat17 Thanks! for the hope. :)

 

[GWhizz]

@trying2movefwd, you sound pretty functional and like you know your limits. I doubt your psych team would recommend you consider disability if they thought it could work in your disfavour. Do you have a trusting T that you could weigh this up with and find some reassurance to back up your decision whether to work or not? I would imagine that it could be more detrimental if you were unable to manage a work life balance, whilst managing symptoms and provide your children with inadequate care as a result. The main thing is that you're getting help. You've raised two children for over 8 years and nobody is going to take that away from you. I work a lot with child protection and from the little that you've said, there would be no reason why your custody of your children should even be called into question. I know how PTSD works up your anxiety and hypervigilance but please know that it will be okay and that whatever you decide is what's best for you and your family.

 

[mamachick]

Theapist are among a group of mandated reporters that must report if they suspect abuse or neglect. Clearly they have not done that and are in your corner. You can be disabled and still a good parent. It is no different that physical disabilities. I know mothers with ms in a wheelchair that have custody. They seek supports to get their children to activities when needed or other tasks.
truing2moveforward, I am more than hopeful, I am confident. Do your best, ask for help through family, community, church, or whatever resources are available depending on your needs. Your concerns are very telling of your love for your children.