Resources and supports for mothers with severe mental illness

Over the past 20 years, community mental health services have enabled individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) to spend more time in the community and to have greater opportunities to face normal developmental life tasks. Currently, women with SMI appear to be as likely to have children as women in the general population. Although these mothers tend to be single parents, often live in inadequate housing, have small social networks, and lack social and emotional supports, they have received little treatment attention. This article presents a systematic review of literature published in the past decade that describes interventions for mothers with SMI. These interventions are critiqued, and implications for future interventions are drawn using a psychiatric rehabilitation framework.