Help for Children of Parents With Serious Mental Illness
Help for Children of Parents With Serious Mental Illness
This is the Medscape Psychiatry Minute. I'm Dr. Peter Yellowlees. Improving the quality of life of children whose parents have serious mental illness is a political and public health concern. Now a team of investigators from the University of Manchester, England, have conducted an evidence synthesis of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability of community-based interventions for improving quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness. After extensive literature searches, only 30 relevant trials were found, which were mostly of poor or unclear quality, with multiple methodological problems. The authors concluded that evidence in this area is lacking, and they recommended that a substantial program of pilot work be undertaken to develop feasible and acceptable interventions. Given the importance of this issue, it is remarkable, and sad, that so little good-quality evidence is available as to how best to assist children whose parents have severe mental illness. We need substantial research to guide us in how best to help these vulnerable children. This article is selected from Medscape Best Evidence. I'm Dr. Peter Yellowlees.
Abstract
This is the Medscape Psychiatry Minute. I'm Dr. Peter Yellowlees. Improving the quality of life of children whose parents have serious mental illness is a political and public health concern. Now a team of investigators from the University of Manchester, England, have conducted an evidence synthesis of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and acceptability of community-based interventions for improving quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness. After extensive literature searches, only 30 relevant trials were found, which were mostly of poor or unclear quality, with multiple methodological problems. The authors concluded that evidence in this area is lacking, and they recommended that a substantial program of pilot work be undertaken to develop feasible and acceptable interventions. Given the importance of this issue, it is remarkable, and sad, that so little good-quality evidence is available as to how best to assist children whose parents have severe mental illness. We need substantial research to guide us in how best to help these vulnerable children. This article is selected from Medscape Best Evidence. I'm Dr. Peter Yellowlees.
Abstract
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