World of Psychology

Study Ties Loss of a Child to Mental Ills

By John M. Grohol, PsyD
Founder & Editor-in-Chief

A Study Ties Loss of a Child to Mental Ills (NY Times, free reg. req’d)

The death of a child not only alters a family forever but also sharply increases the risk that parents will later be hospitalized for a mental illness, researchers are reporting in the largest study to date of parent bereavement and mental health.

The risk is greatest during the first year after the child’s death but remains elevated even five years afterward, the researchers found, and includes higher rates of schizophrenia, depression and abuse of drugs and alcohol.

The overall rate of psychiatric hospitalization among bereaved parents in the study was less than 3 percent over five years, but, experts noted, doctors do not usually admit patients for mental illness unless their condition is urgent.


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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 29 Mar 2005
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.

APA Reference
Grohol, J. (2005). Study Ties Loss of a Child to Mental Ills. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 25, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2005/03/29/study-ties-loss-of-a-child-to-mental-ills/

 

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