According to a 2024 US study, 27% of American adults are estranged from their families.
Breakdowns in familial relationships can happen for a variety of reasons, but according to psychotherapist and family conflict expert Karl Melvin, trying to move on in life after these events can be incredibly difficult.
“I consider this a public health crisis, because many people who will come in are depressed or anxious, they have addiction problems, financial problems, all manner of health problems,” he told Alive and Kicking with Clare McKenna.
“I’m not saying family is the root cause of all of this, because that’s too reductive, but family is at the heart of a lot of it.
“I know even from many of my own clients, they became estranged from family, it consumed them, they spent so much time ruminating.
“But then they’re going into work, and they’re expected to perform at work.”
Stressed woman having problems, looking at laptop screen. Image: Aleksandr Davydov / Alamy. 9 September 2020Mr Melvin said that many systems are set up in such a way that they become inaccessible to those that are not on speaking terms with their family.
“I’m doing some work with the USI (Union of Students Ireland), because there’s issues around SUSI grants in Ireland, where, if you’re estranged from your parents, you have to prove your estrangement,” he said.
“The way you prove it is you contact the Gardaí or you contact Tusla; a social worker.
“But can you imagine someone 17, 18, 19, 20, still very young, estranged from parents and they’re still suffering from the psychological impact.
“The last thing they’re going to do is report it to a Guard or report it even to Tusla because they’re terrified of all these consequences.”
According to Mr Melvin, students in particular can suffer economically due to estrangement from their parents.
Main image: Family Having Argument At Breakfast. Image: MBI / Alamy. 4 July 2013
