Having a parent with a mental health problem

I have received this information via the March newsletter of the Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Network (www.pmhcwn.org.uk).

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has produced a new film aimed at young carers themselves, in which young carers talk about their lives caring for a parent with a mental health problem. Narrated by Chineye, a young carer herself, the film also explains in a very simple and visual way how the brain is believed to work and what happens when things go wrong – described as ‘the filter that only allows through information that is needed can go wrong and the person’s brain can become flooded with information and the person feels overwhelmed with emotions.’ Medication is described as a plaster rather than a cure which is somewhat of an over-simplification, but the film could be valuable to children and young people seeking to gain some basic understanding of mental health from a biochemical perspective:
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/youngpeople/caringforaparent.aspx

Elaine

www.hanzak.com