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.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 29 Mar 2005
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