Mental Health problems, not fit to be a parent?

There was just a news item on itv claiming that a woman with a history of mental illness has had to move abroad in order to keep her baby as the authorities intended to take it off her as soon as she gave birth because of fears she'll be a danger to her baby even though she is now fit and well.

Do you think that the authorities should have the right to do this? Wouldn't they be better off concentrating on babies/children that they know are in danger already? Isn't this encouraging women with mental health issues not to seek help for fear of their future children being taken from them?

I'm Bipolar does that mean I'm not fit to be a mother even though I'm surrounded with support and love and I'm on medication?

The mother should be supported in caring for the child and given the chance to prove that she can love it and meet its' needs.

NO child should be take away from its' mother unless there is serious drug/alcohol abuse issues and the mother is clearly unable to meet the childs' needs.

The Social Services like to remove babies so they can meet their adoption quotas.

I've had mental health difficulties on and off in my life, but I'm devoted to my kids and provide a good standard of care for them.......much better than a lot of parents that I know of :-/

one hypothetical outcome>>>
the lady has the child and is fit and well but later relapses and kills the child................. who is responsible for the childs death
ethical situations.
One thing i am sure of>> the people in charge of the case (social workers, save us all from them) have the vulnerable persons, this case the child, best interests as paramount.

i am a mum of three ,but i tend to agree with Chris , yes needs help,too many babies and children slip through the net,is this one to be next.

good point, i also read an article recently that care for these children has been privatised and the care homes are looking to get in as many (units) as possible therefore getting more money and urging the case workers to refer children for the most spurious reasons for a nice kickback.

Someone with known problemsshould think of the child first. They should educate themselves and make an unselfish decision as to whether or not to have children. I have worked with families who did not take this into consideration and it was and is a very unfortunate for the children. All too often child services fails to do the right thing. Maybe this is an example of them finally doing the right thing.

Hello

This is a very frightening and upsetting case isn't it, but it depends on the circumstances.

Look at it the other way around, suppose the mother had a history of psychosis but was in remission, she had a baby, relapsed and harmed the baby - can you imagine the news headlines then - 'MENTALLY ILL MOTHER KILLS BABY'

Many mothers to be suffer mental health problems and they make fantastic mums, but there are some cases where the mental illness is so severe that the risks to the child have to be taken into consideration.

Mothers with mental illnesses don't always have their babies taken away, they are usually supported by a CPN and Social Worker very closely and this is where the family play a major role too.

Women who do not get help are more dangerous to children. Maybe if she was bipolar she would be unfit to be a parent. I would say that most parents with a history of mental illness should be allowed to have children if there is another adult in the house.

think about it shes legged it to sweden and then shes stupid enough to do interviews with all and sundry shes certainley hitting the profile off attention seeking which is what munchhausens is. any body wanting things to quiten down would keep a low profile so yes shes off her rocker and a slut probably with bad teeth and a fungal infection and i bet she goes shoplifting etc etc etc etc

It is such a difficult question and one that comes down to lack of understanding and resources. Also there is so much stereotyping of people with mental health problems. The professionals, paediatricians and social services need to offer people more help and support instead of being judgemental and sitting back and waiting for some thing to go wrong. Perhaps if they were more proactive instead of reactive more children would be able to stay with their parents.

If properly taken care of and with proper medication, a bipolar woman or whatever should have every right to be a mother.

If we had babies it would probably be a disaster - but they would be very good looking babies - harhar!! now give me 10points!! phone me later if you want - bye x

Just because someone has mental health problems should not mean de facto the child should automatically be taken into care.

There need to be established grounds with clear evidence that can go to a court.

Trouble is the UK Child Protection system is completely risk averse, over stretched and staffed by the overworked and under trained.

Bascally they will do whatever covers their bottom most and costs the least.

You need also to factor in that a baby is very adoptable and therefore would be a magic tick in a box the next time the SSD were inspected.

This lady is entitled to full representation by a specialist lawyer and there is a specific legal process where parental mental health is an issue.

HTH

R

i think the consideratin of removing the child at birth would indicate to me that this person is NOT in any remision and her mental illness is NOT under control. However, assuming that she is stable with spport and medication...this does seem a little harsh. It would be like asuming that someone who has had an amputation or who is overweight, or deaf maybe would also not beable to rear a child in safety and have that removed at birth also. I think unless there is actual reason to be concerned, we should not be acting on a 'maybe'.

Who knows how many parents out there are mentally ill ? or how many mothers - to - be will become mentally ill ? Her unborn baby could possibly be safer than we think as she will have the authorities on her back from day 1,

I really think the severity of the problems should be looked at, as well as the kind of support system that is available.
I have Bipolar as well and I don't think anyone should be prejudiced against,in any way, just because they have some mental health difficulties.

I agree with you. Just because someone has mental health problems doesn't mean they're going to be bad parents or a danger to the child. I know some parents who should never have been allowed children and they DON'T have mental health problems. Many abusers of children go un-noticed by any social service. At least this woman would be in contact with mental health services and could get help, should she need it.

This disturbs me that the government thinks that they can intervene in a persons life in such a way. Mental illness does not mean that a person cant parent effectively. I have been struggling with Major depressive disorder for years, but am doing a good job with my child, I know when I need to seek help, and have learned how to deal with my illness and, have a great support system in my family and friends. My child is in school now and doing great (top of his class in reading, social studies and math), and is quite a well adjusted little person. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I was a single mom. Even with my mental issues my child is considerably better off with me than his father, who is physically and emotionally abusive and has issues with alcohol, and does not really seem to care that much for his child. Since he has had no formal diagnosis of mental illness should my child be with him instead of me. Fortunately, the government has sided with me and I have custody, even though they had knowledge of my mental history (thanks to my child's father). The decision is not for the government to make, in my opinion. If there is treatment, knowledge, and support the child is often much better with the parents.

If this story had come out just before May, it may well have stopped me from seeking help. It scares me a lot, that because of my mh issues, and the stigma attached to it (just as bad if not worse), my life will mean very little. I cannot work full time or in a stressful job as it makes me really ill (suicidal or bad self harm), and now with this story when I do get my life back together and am much better, there is a chance I won't be allowed to keep any children! Great, why did I bother to get help in the first place, and maybe it would have been better if I did kill myself. I am about to go into therapy to get over my problems, it'll be long term and intensive, but will it be worth it if I cannot have a lfe afterwards, that is why I am going for it. Stories like this makes you think what is the point in getting better, why make a lfe for yourself, why get help you need, if it is going to be brought up again. Unfortunately I think this is going to send out a negative message to people with mh problems, not to get help. It is already hard to get help, and to find enough courage to tell somebod, partly because it is so difficult to talk about it, and largely due to the stigma attached.

With this case the women had mh problems as an adolescent. She grew up into an adult, and her mh are in her past. I think they were vy harsh with her, and I cannot blame her for moving abroad. She was willing to co-opperate with social services, and to be closely watched. I feel sorry for her, that because she had problems as a child, they won't let her keep her baby. Where do you draw the line as to what mh problems means you are a danger to your child, bearing in mind that 1/4 will have mh problems at some point in their life.