Family Matters

Family Matters focuses on research and clinical material which bridges the traditional gap between child and adult mental health. Rather than considering child and adult problems separately, the authors address the often complex interactions between the two, covering such topics as: · The implications of childhood trauma in later life · The impact of parental mental health problems on children · How interactions within a family can affect the mental health of all individuals within the family The authors review existing research and cover their own recent studies and practical experience, and put forward new theoretical models to underpin their recommendations for changes in practice, such as liason initiatives between child and adult services and specialised services to treat adolescents, parenting breakdown and perinatal psychiatric illness. The findings and recommendations in Family Matters have have important implications for the organsiation and funding of mental health and related services, and staff training, and should be read by all those in professions concerned with child and adult mental health, including psychiatrists, family therapists, psychotherapists, nurses, health visitors and social workers, and health service managers.

Anthony Jolley, Peter Reder, Mike McClure

1: Introduction; 1: Interfaces between child and adult mental health; 2: Developmental dimensions; 2: Continuities of childhood disorders into adulthood; 3: Abuse then and now; 4: The impact of children on their parents; 5: Adolescence-the transition from childhood to adulthood; 3: Children of parents with mental health problems; 6: Children's experience of major psychiatric disorder in their parent; 7: Impact of parental anxiety disorder on children; 8: The children of mothers with eating disorders; 9: The links between somatisation in children and in adults; 10: Children of substance-misusing parents; 11: The problem of parental personality; 12: Child abuse and parental mental health; 13: Health visitors, children and parental mental health problems; 14: Needs assessment in the children of parents with major psychiatric illness; 4: Service developments; 15: Parents with mental health problems; 16: Working with families where there is parenting breakdown; 17: Parenting skills interventions; 18: Perinatal mental health; 19: Principles of collaboration between child and adolescent and adult substance misuse services; 21: Liaison between child and adult psychiatric services; 5: Future directions; 21: An integrative ecology; 22: Addressing the interfaces