Legal issues regarding children

Abstract

Mothers with mental illnesses are sometimes threatened with loss of custody of their children to the father or another relative simply because of stereotypes about mental illness and incorrect assumptions that if a mother has a mental illness, she cannot be an adequate parent. Some people even assume that any parent with a mental illness will be dangerous to a child. The mental and physical health of each parent is a factor the court is always concerned about, but it is only one of many factors. Custody evaluators who are appointed to assist courts are obligated to base their recommendations not on stereotypes but on expert knowledge. The guidelines applicable to evaluators mandate that they look not simply at diagnostic labels but at actual parenting skills and the interactions between the parent and the child, which can be very positive. Scientific knowledge concerning mental illness has expanded exponentially in the past few decades. There has been significant research on the effects of mental illness on parenting, which demonstrates that diagnostic labels often lead to incorrect assumptions regarding parental abilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities, and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 made it clear that not only persons with physical disabilities but also persons with psychiatric or psychological disabilities are protected by the law. Additionally, some state custody statutes specifically prohibit discrimination based on parental disability.