AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022
Children of Parents with a Mental Illness 2 - Book Review
| Children of Parents with Mental Illness 2 Personal and Clinical Perspectives Editor Vicki Cowling ACER Press 2004 0 86431 4736 $34.95 Reviewer: Sylvia Lim-Gibson Reviewer: Doreen Westley |
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Reviewer: Sylvia Lim-Gibson MB.BS.(Hons) FRANZCP
Staff Specialist Psychiatrist, Consultation Liaison Psychiatry
St George Hospital
An excellent book in an area where there is a dearth of literature available. It is encouraging as this book reflects growing local recognition of what has been the silent sufferers - the children of parents with mental illness.
The book is written in an easy conversational style without presumed knowledge in either child or adult mental health. It is well-interspersed with a number of personal accounts, from young children to adult children of persons with mental illness. Even to seasoned workers in the field, these accounts serve as a reminder to us about the reality and struggles these children deal with on a day-to-day basis.
The book's chapter on cultural issues is also noteworthy. Not only does it recommends considering the family's cultural framework but also deals with the local context where many of the issues which arise related to the family's migration status and experience rather than culture per se.
The book finishes on a high note - its final chapter is as provocative as its title suggests - how we fail to care for children of mentally ill parents. The author of that chapter reviews the current trends for mental health service delivery - the "time-poor" environment and the focus on biological disorders and pharmacotherapy - and how this impacts on our ability to adequately notice the psychosocial contexts our patients live in, much less their families.
Interesting and challenging.
Reviewer: Doreen WestleyPsychologist
Private Practice
The title of the book indicates what it is about and gives an insight into the world of the children and professionals dealing with the issues of parents with mental illness.
It was refreshing to have a book written about Australian conditions dealing with the perspectives of the infant, adolescence and the parent. The book is a good starting point for information about Australian conditions and the references are useful to lead you further into the journey of children who have parents with mental illness.
The book is written in easy to understand language and is well organized and gives plenty of examples of the experiences of children. The examples in the book help to understand the complexity of the situation for all concerned, the children, the carer and the professional.
An important feature of this book is the inclusion of cultural considerations, something that is not always considered but plays an important role in interacting with others.