Grieving For Our Child Who Experienced Mental Health Problem

UK Helpline: 0345 123 2304 | www.tcf.org.uk the signs that they were becoming ill again. They may have been so unwell that they became a danger to themselves, and as a loving parent we could have found ourselves supporting a difficult decision for them to be admitted to hospital, even against their will. Our child’s illness may have led them into situations where the police became involved. They could have been arrested or imprisoned. It is a sad fact that a high proportion of people in custody are known to be suffering from mental illness. They may have been withdrawn and isolated, cutting themselves off from their friends and family. Our child may have been living rough or estranged from us, so that we went to bed each night not knowing if they were safe. In our relationship with them, things might have been said or done that were extremely hurtful. These might have been ‘the illness speaking’, but nevertheless, these words and actions may now haunt us. All of this means that even before our child died, we might have been emotionally and physically exhausted from coping with their illness. If we have other children, we may be troubled by how our child’s needs and now their death has affected them. We may feel extremely isolated in our grief. Friends and even family members who struggled to show understanding and sympathy for our child’s problems while they were alive may be unable to support us now that our child has died. Coping with our grief over both our child’s illness and their death could be a long and difficult process.