Beyond child neglect or abuse, if you suspect that parents are so detached that they may be unable to care for their children, you also can file. Ideally, this would raise parents’ awareness of the situation (chronic stress or depression) and offer them additional services that could address the underlying problem. Children with detached parents also will benefit from having as many caring, attentive adults as possible in their orbit. Find out who else is connected to them, from family members to teachers, coaches, or ministers. Suggest that their children would benefit from structured activities with a chance to connect with other caring adults.A detached parent may make a child feel worried, worthless, or guilty. There is no substitute for a loving, engaged parent, and your brief interventions to help a parent reconnect with the child will be invaluable.
Dr. Swick is an attending psychiatrist in the division of child psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and director of the Parenting at a Challenging Time (PACT) Program at the Vernon Cancer Center at Newton Wellesley Hospital, also in Boston. Dr. Jellinek is professor emeritus of psychiatry and pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston. Email them at pdnews@mdedge.com
