There was no one outside the family to tell him why his mother was acting in a certain way. Babin's sister was pretty much the only person who helped her raise the boy during her most serious bouts of illness. That's not always true, but we do need help. Babin hopes her employers can begin to fill the gaps in services for families with parents who have mental illnesses. And as assistant director for outreach services at the Mental Health Association in Passaic County, she plans to be involved in launching the effort.
Every family deserves that, because emotionally, it's very hard.
People don't plan to have a mental illness and have a child. The association and four of its sister groups throughout the country was awarded federal grant money to launch the Invisible Children's Project. To outline what services are needed to start the project in Passaic, the association will host a free workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. It's long overdue. As they stand, community-based mental health centers tend to treat ill adults, and children's needs are taken up by the state Division of Youth and Family Services.