Psychopathology and its early impact on parenting behaviors in mothers: The interface between adult and infant psychiatry

Parenting is, in its essence, the domain where adult mental health and infant’s mental and physical health meet in a complex and dynamic interplay. Becoming a parent is a developmental challenge in itself, and often exacerbates an existing mental illness, and in turn, maladaptive parenting impinges on the early parent-infant relationship, and on the infant’s socio-emotional development and later functioning. The capacity for mentalization is brought as a bridging concept between adult and infant psychiatry. A few clinical vignettes illustrate the dynamic interplay between very young children’s vulnerabilities and needs and their parents’ strengths and weaknesses, leading to a complex interaction and often to symptoms in both child and parent. In the light of the compelling data about the impact of parental psychopathology on parenting behaviors and children outcomes, there is an imperative need for a working alliance and on-going communication between child and adult psychiatrists.