Women fear losing children if they raise mental health concerns

Some women are afraid to seek help for mental health issues over fears their children may be taken away from them, with inadequate services for women highlighted as a major concern.

A seminar organised by Barnardos on mental health issues in families, heard there is an over-reliance on medication as a means of dealing with mental health problems and that some mothers were afraid to seek help because they felt their children might be removed from their care.

One of the speakers, Janet Colgan of the Education Welfare Services within Tusla, the new Child and Family Agency, said there were instances where children might miss school because of parental mental health issues.