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You care, you count: a carer's guide to getting support
- Author:
- RETHINK
- Publisher:
- Rethink
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 31p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This document sets out commitments the government has made to addressing immediate and longer-term issues in the matter of people providing care and support for someone with mental illness.
Speaking up: how family members advocate for relatives living with a mental illness. community
- Author:
- SCHAFFER Marjorie A.
- Journal article citation:
- Community Mental Health Journal, 57(8), 2021, pp.1547-1555.
- Publisher:
- Springer
Consumers with a mental health condition often feel powerless and overwhelmed in interactions with mental healthcare providers. Consumer self-advocacy and advocacy actions undertaken by their family members on the behalf of their relative contribute to a sense of empowerment for both consumers and their family members. This qualitative study explored family member perspectives of advocacy actions they took on behalf of their relatives and themselves. Data analysis of interviews with 20 family members, including parents, partners/spouses, siblings, and adult children, yielded three themes of family member advocacy actions: advocating for a relative’s mental healthcare, normalizing mental illness, and engaging in social and political actions. Advocacy frameworks offer useful guidelines for speaking up for individuals who live with a mental illness. (Edited publisher abstract)
Perceived isolation among family caregivers of people with mental illness
- Authors:
- LABRUM Travis, NEWHILL Christina Evangeline
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work: A journal of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 66(3), 2021, pp.245-253.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Family members (who are overwhelmingly women) providing caregiving for individuals with mental illness (MI) are known to experience significant burden. Little research, however, has addressed how such burden can affect caregivers’ personal time and perceived isolation. Using data from a survey of 1,505 family caregivers of adults with MI, authors examined the extent to which factors related to caregivers, care recipients, caregiving, and treatment are associated with caregivers’ perceived isolation and the mediating role of caregivers’ inadequate personal time. A series of multivariate logistic regression models and Sobel testing were performed. Half of caregivers perceived being isolated. Perceived isolation was positively associated with care recipients having a serious mental health problem, coresiding, effects of stigma, and caregivers having inadequate time for themselves. Perceived isolation was negatively associated with the ability to rely on others for help, caregivers being satisfied with the amount of community mental health services, and caregivers having received education on caregiving. Caregivers having inadequate time for themselves was most strongly related to perceived isolation. Female caregivers were more likely to experience isolation; however, this relationship was mediated through caregivers having less time for themselves than preferred. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for social work practice. (Edited publisher abstract)
Informal caregiving in schizophrenia: correlates and predictors of perceived rewards
- Authors:
- STANLEY Selwyn, BALAKRISHNAN Sujeetha
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Mental Health, 19(3), 2021, pp.230-247.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Schizophrenia is a debilitating mental illness that has repercussions for the afflicted individual as well as the immediate family. While family caregiving entails enormous burden, it is also acknowledged that the experience may be perceived as being rewarding. This study seeks to understand key aspects of caregiving in terms of perceived rewards, the experience of hope, and the social support available to family caregivers. Standardized instruments to assess these variables were administered to primary caregivers of people with schizophrenia and a comparative group. It was seen that both hope, and perceived social support significantly predicted reward perception in the caregivers. (Edited publisher abstract)
Physical health and mental illness: listening to the voice of carers
- Authors:
- HAPPELL Brenda, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 26(2), 2017, pp.134-141.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Background: Shortened life expectancy of people with mental illness is now widely known and the focus of research and policy activity. To date, research has primarily reflected perspectives of health professionals with limited attention to the views and opinions of those most closely affected. The voice of carers is particularly minimal, despite policy stipulating carer participation is required for mental health services. Aim: To present views and opinions of carers regarding physical health of the people they care for. Methods: Qualitative exploratory. Two focus groups and one individual interview were conducted with 13 people identifying as carers of a person with mental illness. Research was conducted in the Australian Capital Territory. Data analysis was based on the thematic framework of Braun and Clarke. Results: Two main themes were interaction between physical and mental health; and, carers’ own physical and mental health. Participants described the impact of mental illness and its treatments on physical health, including their own. Conclusions: Carers are acknowledged as crucial for the delivery of high quality mental health services. Therefore they have an important role to play in addressing the poor physical health of people with mental illness. Hearing their views and opinions is essential. (Publisher abstract)
Caregiver coping with the mentally ill: a qualitative study
- Authors:
- AZMAN Azlinda, SINGH Paramjit Singh Jamir, SULAIMAN Jamallundin
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Mental Health, 26(2), 2017, pp.98-103.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
Background: Mental illness is a disease that affects millions of people every year. It not only causes stress to the mentally ill patients, but also for the family members who provide them the care. The family caregivers, therefore need some form of coping strategies in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Aims: This qualitative study aims at identifying and analysing the coping strategies adopted by the family caregivers in dealing with their mentally ill family members. Method: A total of 15 family caregivers from the state of Kedah, Malaysia participated in the face-to-face semi structured interview. Results: The study findings identified an array of coping strategies used by the family caregivers, including religious coping, emotional coping, acceptance, becoming engaged in leisure activities, and the use of traditional healing to help them cope with their mentally ill members. Suggestions and conclusions: Study suggests that the family caregivers should engage themselves in social support groups to learn about and obtain the positive coping strategies used by other caregivers who have similar experiences in caring for the mentally ill. Study also suggests that they should get appropriate training from the mental health professionals in order to enhance the caregivers’ coping skills. (Publisher abstract)
Living with mental ill health: a carers perspective
- Author:
- TAYLOR Chris
- Journal article citation:
- Mental Health Today, March/April 2015, pp.25-27.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
The author, who is also a counsellor and therapist, provides a personal account of caring for someone with mental health problems and outlines some ways of coping.
Mental and physical illness in caregivers: results from an English national survey sample
- Authors:
- SMITH Lindsay, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Psychiatry, 205(3), 2014, pp.197-203.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Aims: This study investigates the relationship between weekly time spent caregiving and psychiatric and physical morbidity in a representative sample of the population of England. Method: Primary outcome measures were obtained from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007. Self-report measures of mental and physical health were used, along with total symptom scores for common mental disorder derived from the Clinical Interview Schedule - Revised. Results: In total, 25% (n = 1883) of the sample identified themselves as caregivers. They had poorer mental health and higher psychiatric symptom scores than non-caregivers. There was an observable decline in mental health above 10 h per week. A twofold increase in psychiatric symptom scores in the clinical range was recorded in those providing care for more than 20 h per week. In adjusted analyses, there was no excess of physical disorders in caregivers. Conclusions: Strong evidence was found that caregiving affects the mental health of caregivers. Distress frequently reaches clinical thresholds, particularly in those providing most care. Strategies for maintaining the mental health of caregivers are needed, particularly as demographic changes are set to increase involvement in caregiving roles. (Edited publisher abstract)
A family approach to delirium: a review of the literature
- Author:
- HALLOWAY Shannon
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18(2), 2014, pp.129-139.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This literature review had the following objectives: (1) evaluate the current state of research into delirium management (prevention, identification, or treatment of delirium) with family approaches or involvement, (2) identify gaps and areas that require investigation, and (3) determine a future course of research. A comprehensive search of original research was conducted in six major databases using seven keywords in 2012. The literature search yielded a total of 2160 articles. Criteria for eligibility were met by a total of 11 articles. The articles were evaluated in regards to purpose, sample, research design, level of evidence, variables, and results. The literature review revealed that this topic is emergent and requires substantial additional research. The aspects of delirium care that researchers investigated were diverse and included bedside interventions (n = 3), screening strategies (n = 4), family education (n = 2), and care that employed multiple components (n = 2). Delirium outcomes improved significantly in two high-quality studies: one multi-component intervention and one bedside intervention program. Other noteworthy findings of lower quality studies warrant further examination. The review of the articles did not determine if the involvement of families in delirium management improves patient outcomes; however, the review revealed potential for program development and future courses of research.
Recovery: a carer's perspective
- Authors:
- MACHIN Karen, REPPER Julie
- Publishers:
- Centre for Mental Health, NHS Confederation. Mental Health Network
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- London
This briefing paper examines what recovery means for the families and friends of people with mental health conditions. It suggests ways in which these informal carers can support recovery and looks at how mental health services can give the best possible help to do this. It also provides information about key resources, including the Triangle of Care and a Wellbeing Recovery Plan for families and friends. The briefing paper has been produced for the Implementing Recovery through Organisational Change Programme, a joint initiative from the Centre for Mental Health and the NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network. (Publisher abstract)