Elizabeth Leavy-Watts, M.S.
Pillars Community Services
6120 South Archer, Summit Illinois, 60501
(708) 485-0069
When the parent of a mentally ill, substance abusing or dual-diagnosis child finds himself the victim of violence at the
hands of that child, the services available to assist are scattered and difficult to access. This presentation outlines the
particular problems facing a victim of this kind of domestic violence and presents strategies for interested agencies to
coordinate a community response.
Parents face unique problems when seeking help for the treatment of an adult child. In addition to the all the issues facing
any family member of a person in crisis, parents have the added societal expectations that they will care for a sick child.
By crossing the boundaries of domestic violence and issues facing the mentally ill and/or substance abusing, this group of
victims finds themselves outside the purview of most support services available. Additionally, these victims face barriers
of ideology. Women's groups have fought the definition of domestic violence as a mental illness or as a problem caused by
substance abuse. Study after study has supported the conclusion that the majority of abusers are not mentally ill and do not
abuse substances at a rate any higher than the societal averages. Likewise, groups that advocate on behalf of the mentally
ill struggle with the public perception that the mentally ill are violent. Much effort goes into fighting this perception. All
of this leaves the victim of domestic violence at the hands of a mentally ill family member without services that address the
full range of their needs and issues.
There are a variety of community organizations that currently provide some of the services needed. Criminal court offers
various routes to mandate a mentally ill and/or substance abusing defendant into treatment. Domestic violence groups
focus on victim safety and abuser responsibility. Volunteer groups organized through the National Alliance for the
Mentally Ill provide support curriculums for families. Support groups such as Families Anonymous or Al-Anon are
available to those families with substance abuse issues. Elder abuse services may be available in cases where the victim is
over the age of 60.
Because of gaps that exist in these services, I would propose the following specialized services: court advocates trained on
the special issues of the mentally ill could help victims to understand and utilize the criminal court system in order to get
the offender into treatment, and to advise the court what treatment options exist; support groups would provide families a
place to grieve, to vent, to normalize their experiences and gather information from others that have been through the same
kinds of difficulties; medical advocates could provide information on treatment breakthroughs, new medications, side
effects of medications, best practice recommendations, and sources for low cost care and treatment.
Community service providers will have to work together in order to build the services needed for this group of people facing issues that cross the boundaries of domestic violence, mental illness and substance abuse.
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