While BPD families enter treatment with more impaired children and more extensive treatment histories, both BPD and MDD/DD families benefit from intervention. The clinical issues concerning combining families of children with bipolar and depressive spectrum illnesses in groups are discussed. Clinical impressions suggest that such combinations are clinically feasible and potentially beneficial.

This study examined the impact of adjunctive multi-family psychoeducation groups (MFPG) on mood-disordered children aged 8 to 11 and their families. Participants were 35 children and 47 parents from families randomly assigned to either immediate MFPG plus treatment as usual (n = 18) or a 6-month wait-list condition plus treatment as usual (n = 17). At the 6 month follow up, immediate treatment families reported: Increased parental knowledge about childhood mood symptoms; increased positive family interactions as reported by the parent; increased perceptions of parental support as reported by children; and increased utilization of appropriate services by families. Expected impact on decreasing negative family interactions was not found. Results are largely consistent with hypothesized findings and support the need to further investigate the adjunctive role of psychoeducation in the treatment of childhood mood disorders.

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This article focuses on the role of fathers in family interventions designed to deal with mental illness (with particular emphasis given to childhood mood disorders) and the implications for future research, program development, and public policy issues. Pertinent research on childhood mood disorders that concentrates on family system and parental subsystem characteristics is reviewed, as are studies that contribute to an understanding of the impact fathers have on the onset and course of childhood mood disorders. Additionally, preliminary information generated from one family based intervention targeting childhood mood disorders is discussed briefly in order to illustrate additional issues to be considered in the design and implementation of family based programming.