Untreated parental grief can leave children without guidance and escalate conflict

Evidence

That summer she stumbled. She started drinking hard and smoking a lot of weed. Her father, who had withdrawn into depression, soon lost all control of her. He tried moving the family to a neighboring city, but that didn’t help. The two fought constantly, until one day when Lina was riding with two of her school friends in their car, she asked a question. “Hey, guys,” she said, “can you take me to Denver?” They did, and she didn’t come back. — Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being…, 642