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I Hate Mum

A look into the lives of two boys who are at war with their mothers. The boys and their families visit a specialist unit dedicated to helping families on the verge of collapse.

I Hate Mum looks into the lives of two boys who are at war with their mothers and follows their progress as they visit a specialist unit dedicated to helping families on the verge of collapse.

Ten-year-old Adam has been violent and abusive to his mum and brother Jake (eight) for the past five years. At school, Adam is able to control his outbursts, but home is a constant battleground.

Adam's anger has been affecting the whole family but family life has not always been that way, explains Sharon: 'He was what I call a perfect son. I never had problems with him at all. It was when Adam turned five or six that his behaviour started to change.'

With Adam's behaviour growing increasingly worse, the family GP has referred them to specialist NHS unit CAMHS in Greenwich - part of the national network of child and adolescent mental health services. Working with the family and closely observing how they interact, the family therapists come up with a programme to connect the family again. But can they reunite mother and son?

Over the past three years, Ryan (16) has been caught stealing from home, been excluded from school and smashed up the house, but the worst of his behaviour is targeted at his mum Cathy.

Ryan lives with his mum, his older sister Annie and his mum's fiance Jamie. He's been going missing from home recently, and was once found sleeping on a night bus.

Ryan and his family have been attending CAMHS for nine months and, although there has been some improvement in Ryan's behaviour, his family still don't trust him alone. Can CAMHS counsellors help Ryan get to the nub of his problems before it's too late?

50 minutes

Last on

Wed 17 Feb 2010 02:45

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