Patients' perception of possible child custody or visitation loss for nonadherence to psychiatric treatment.

Objective: This study explored whether parents treated in public mental health settings perceived that they might lose child custody or visitation if they were not adherent to treatment.

Methods: Interview data were gathered from 1,011 adult outpatients from five community mental health centers located in five states in different U.S. regions.

Results: Among parents with children younger than 16 (N=187), 19% perceived in the past six months that they might lose child custody or visitation if they were not adherent to treatment. Two-thirds of the identified sources of this perception were family, themselves, or individuals outside the treatment, welfare, or legal systems.

Conclusions: These preliminary data indicate that the perception of possible loss of child custody or visitation for nonadherence to treatment is not uncommon among patients treated in these public mental health settings and that "informal" sources are often the perceived source. Further study regarding the effects of this perception on patient and family outcomes is needed.