Motherhood, Mental Illness and Recovery

This book describes current research and services available to mothers with serious mental illness. It includes personal accounts of mothers on issues such as stigma, fears, and discrimination in the context of parenting with a mental illness.

Despite the importance of regaining social roles during recovery from mental illness, the intersection between motherhood and serious mental illness is often overlooked. This book aims to rectify that neglect. A series of introductory chapters describing current research and services available to mothers with serious mental illness are followed by personal accounts of clients reflecting on their parenting experiences. One goal of the book is to provide clinicians with information that they can use to help patients struggling with questions and barriers in their attempts to parent. The inclusion of personal accounts of mothers on issues such as stigma, fears and discrimination in the context of parenting with a mental illness is intended to promote the message of mental illness recovery to a larger audience as well. Finally, it is hoped that this handbook will help inspire more research on mothers with mental illness and the creation of more services tailored to their needs.

Inhalt

Working with Mothers and Children: Supporting Mothers Living with Mental Illnesses in Recovery.- Modes of Experience and Understanding.- When Your Patient has Children.- Mothers are Everywhere: Finding Stories of Motherhood in a State Psychiatric Hospital.- Pregnancy and the Perinatal Period.- Substance Use Disorders and Motherhood.- Legal Issues Regarding Children.- LBT Mothers.- Voices of Mothers: The Journey.- Voices of Mothers: Getting Help.- Voices of Mothers: Motivation for Healing.- Voices of Mothers: Multigenerational Impact.- Voices of Mothers: Adult Children's Perspective".