Mental Illness After the Death of a Child
There are few things more painful to a parent than the loss of a child. Although many people successfully develop coping mechanisms for dealing with stressful events, it has been suggested that parental bereavement is more difficult to cope with than any other type of bereavement.
Several small studies have suggested a relationship between persistent symptoms of anxiety and depression and a child’s death. A study published in the March 24, 2005 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the impact of a child’s death on the risk of parental hospitalization for mental illness.
About the Study
The study was conducted using records from a Danish registry that included more than one million people who had at least one child under the age of 18. The researchers looked at data from 1970 through 1999. During that time, 11,895 deaths of children under the age of 18 occurred in the study population and the number of bereaved parents was 17,033. These parents were compared to parents who had not lost a child during that same time period.
The study looked at hospital admissions due to mental illness. The researchers focused on affective disorders (mood disorders such as depression), but also looked at schizophrenia and substance abuse. In addition, the parents’ age and sex, the deceased child’s age, the time since the death of the child, and the number of children in the family were studied to determine if any of these factors influenced the risk of psychiatric admission.
The Findings
The results showed a 67% increase in risk for hospitalization for any psychiatric disease among parents who had lost a child as compared with parents who had not lost a child. Bereaved mothers had a slightly higher risk than fathers—78% versus 38%, respectively. Mothers who had lost more than one child were more than three times as likely to be hospitalized for any psychiatric disorder; fathers were more than twice as likely.
The risk of hospitalization due to affective disorders, schizophrenia, and substance abuse were all elevated in bereaved parents (see the following table).
% Increase in Risk of Hospitalization for Bereaved Parents as Compared to Non-Bereaved Parents | |
All Mental Disorders | |
Mother |
78% |
Father |
38% |
Affective Disorders | |
Mother |
91% |
Father |
61% |
Schizophrenia | |
Mother |
89% |
Father |
76% |
Substance Abuse | |
Mother |
116% |
Father |
43% |
The risk of being hospitalized for bereaved mothers was greatest during the first year following a child’s death. The risk declined with time, but remained significantly elevated after five years or more. The age of the child at the time of death did not significantly affect the risk of hospitalization, nor did the age of the parent. However, among mothers, the risk of hospitalization decreased with an increase in the number of surviving children in the family.
How Does This Affect You?
It is said that the grief of a bereaved parent is the most intense grief of all. The results of this study illustrate the deep and profound emotions that can be felt by a bereaved parent—emotions so powerful they lead to an increase in hospitalizations for mental illness. Additionally, the study’s authors point out that their data may actually underestimate the prevalence of psychiatric illness after the death of a child because the study only included parents who were hospitalized.
Many organizations are available to bereaved parents that provide support, counseling, and contact with other bereaved parents. However, a parent dealing with such a traumatic loss may have difficulty reaching out for help. In such cases, it may be up to close friends and family to reach out to a bereaved parent.
The Compassionate Friends, an organization that provides support to bereaved families, offers the following suggestions for concerned friends and relatives when dealing with a bereaved parent.
Helping a Bereaved Parent |
DO: |
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DON'T: |
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Adapted from the Compassionate Friends
RESOURCES:
American Psychiatric Association
http://www.psych.org/
Bereaved Parents of the USA
http://www.bereavedparentsusa.org/
Center for Mental Health Services
http://www.mentalhealth.org/
Compassionate Friends
http://www.compassionatefriends.org/
National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/
National Mental Health Association
http://www.nmha.org/
Sources:
For the newly bereaved. Bereaved Parents of the USA Web site. Available at: http://www.bereavedparentsusa.org/BP_NewlyBer.htm . Accessed March 22, 2005.
Helping bereaved parents. The Compassionate Friends (UK) Web site. Available at: http://www.tcf.org.uk/leaflets/lehelpingbp.html . Accessed March 22, 2005.
Li J, et al. Hospitalization for mental illness among parents after the death of a child. New England Journal of Medicine . 2005;352(12):1190-1196.
Last reviewed Mar 25, 2005 by Richard Glickman-Simon, MD
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