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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION
Severe mental illness (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or some personality disorders, is responsible for a substantial proportion of disability in the population. More than this, offspring of parents with SMI are at an increased risk of developing mental and other health problems. In general, child outcomes relate not only to the parent’s illness but to a wide range of other factors, including the child’s coping skills, the family’s socioeconomic status, the level and quality of social support, and access to social and health care. Preliminary research has found some positive outcomes for prevention programs for children of parents living with an SMI, but these programs are scarce and difficult to develop in the real clinical practice.
Fifteen years ago a Follow-up and Care Program for Offspring of SMI patients was developed in Granada (Andalusia, Spain), and it has continued on an ongoing but irregular basis to date. Here we present the design of this Program and its general health results in the population of SMI patients’ offspring with some mental health problem or disorder.
OBJETIVES
1) To present the design of our Follow-up and Care Program for Offspring of SMI patients.
2) To describe the group of these children followed the last 5 years from our Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit because of their own mental health problems, in terms of general health and school adaptation.
METHODS
After describing the design of our Follow-up and Care Program for Offspring of SMI patients, data collected from the regular longitudinal follow-up of these children will be presented. These data were obtained from periodic interviews, usually quarterly, with schools, social workers (if necessary) and pediatricians of the children.
RESULTS
The problems of greater incidence in general health care were: not to go to medical controls, inadequate vaccination, alterations in the feeding, repetitive infectious diseases, bad hygiene and irregular school activity.
After the evaluation of the data it is verified that the largest number of cases with pathology is focused on first-born, males, aged between 6-10 years and with a psychotic father.
CONCLUSIONS
Coordinated work between the health system, the family, social workers and schools can improve care and early detection of problems in this at-risk population. However, there are few programs underway with published data, so further research is needed to determine their real cost-effectiveness.
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