Parenting and recovery for mothers with mental disorders

Abstract

Parenting is a significant role for many mothers with mental disorders, offering both opportunities to facilitate as well as impede recovery. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an ecological approach to motherhood and recovery, acknowledging the complex nature of the relationships between mothers and children, and considering the context in which these relationships grow and develop. National prevalence data are used to describe mothers with mental disorders and the background and experiential characteristics that shape their life contexts. Key components for interventions are described, drawing from relevant literature and previous studies, and implications for mental health policy and services delivery are discussed. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.