A Clinical Evaluation of Children with Psychotic Parents

Abstract

In a metropolitan sample the author found three groups of disturbances among children of psychotic parents: precursive disturbances—forerunners of later adult psychoses; symbiotic—directly attributable to the type of relationship between child and sick parent; and induced or parapsychotic—attributable to the environment. The latter two groups are susceptible to the effects of separation from the psychotic influence; this is less true in the first group, although there is some suggestion that specific therapeutic interventions may help avoid the development of an adult psychosis.