Atypical motherhood and psychological burden in the family context: a psychological analysis of maternal care for children with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

Abstract

Atypical motherhood refers to contexts in which maternal care occurs under intensified emotional, psychological and social demands, especially when associated with severe mental disorders within the family environment. This study aims to analyze, from a psychoanalytic and psychosocial perspective, the experience of a mother responsible for caring for two children diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The family context presents affective instability marked by multiple marital relationships, significant emotional losses and strong religious influence, factors that contributed to frequent relocations and constant processes of adaptation. Difficulties in organizing daily routines, fragility in emotional regulation and challenges in managing everyday care are observed. Mental health monitoring occurred irregularly, often limited to moments of crisis. The analysis is based on theoretical contributions from psychoanalysis and analytical psychology, especially the works of Freud, Jung, Winnicott and Bowlby, seeking to understand the psychic mechanisms involved in maternal emotional overload. The results indicate that the absence of adequate psychological support and the presence of severe mental disorders in the family context can intensify processes of psychological suffering and emotional exhaustion in the experience of motherhood.