A FAMILY FOCUSED APPROACH IN ADULT AND CHILD AND YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Given the heritability of mental disorders it is not surprising that prevalence rates for mental disorders are increased in children of parents with mental illness as well as in parents of children attending child and youth mental health services. A large meta-analysis found that around 50% of children with a parent with a mental illness also were diagnosed with a mental disorder. That could be the same disorder as the parent, but more often it was a different disorder (Uher et al, World Psychiatry, 2023). Based on the Scandinavian Registers, Hakulinen et al (2026, British Journal of Psychiatry) reported that in parents of children who received a mental disorder diagnosis, the odds to receive a diagnosis of anxiety or depression were twice as high compared to parents whose children didn't get a diagnosis. This translates to around 35% of parents with mental health symptoms when children are attending child and youth mental health services. Still, adult and child and youth mental health services (AMHS and CAMHS) are mostly separate services that do not collaborate and treatment is mostly focused on the individual. The academic collaborative center Family Mental Health aims to promote family focused care (FFC) in both AMHS and CAMHS. To implement a conversation around parenthood and the children's wellbeing in AMHS, we carried out a qualitative study. Two feedback groups were organised with clinicians working in AMHS (N=10) to identify key topics for a training program on discussing parenthood in clinical practice. Furthermore, we conducted two focus groups with parents with lived experience in AMHS (N=10) to explore their experiences and preferences regarding how and when parenthood should be introduced during treatment. Data were analyzed thematically, following an iterative and reflexive approach. Parents and professionals expressed a shared willingness to address parenthood during treatment in AMHS, but also described fears, uncertainty, and structural barriers that hinder these discussions. Together, these insights inform how the implementation of discussing parenthood as part of routine care in AMHS can be achieved. Following these focus groups, adult mental health clinicians were trained to have this conversation. Still, clinicians needed much support to implement this in their daily practice. Results on frequency of these discussions and referrals of parents to prevention programs will be discussed during the presentation. The psychiatric genetic community should advocate for FFC as currently families are not receiving optimal care, either treatment or prevention.