Family carers: lived experience of caring for relatives with an SMI

Abstract

1 Cleary A, Walsh F, Dowling M (2014) 'Family carers lived experience of having a relative with an ongoing mental illness'. British Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 3 (4):18-23. Key Points: The family caregivers of relatives with an ongoing mental illness face many challenges. When their relative first becomes ill, family caregivers often lack an understanding of mental illness and need sufficient information from staff. (Clarify) Family carers can feel excluded by health care professionals who decline to share information with them when maintaining patient confidentiality. Support groups play an important role in helping family carers cope, especially in the early phase of their relative's illness. AbstractThis study explored family caregivers' lived experience of caring for a relative with an ongoing mental illness. An interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) was adopted.Participants (n=8) were self selecting and members of SHINE (a voluntary Irish organisation supporting persons with mental illness and their families). Three super-ordinate themes were interpreted from the interview data. The first theme 'nobody told me this was the way it is' represents participants' experiences of not understanding what was happening to their relative and what they should do when their relative was first diagnosed. The second theme, 'feeling excluded', represents the participants' sense of exclusion. For some, the reason for this exclusion was because of the confidentiality embedded in the Mental Health Act. The final theme, 'you don't feel judged' represents the importance of the support group to participants, especially at the beginning when their relative was first diagnosed. The study findings illustrate the importance of education for relatives, and the important contribution support groups play in providing support and education.

Deciding to discontinue prescribed psychotropic medication: A qualitative study of service users’ experiences

“…This is not surprising given the evidence that suggests family members are often excluded in the decision‐making process in relation to all aspects of care (Cleary et al . 2014; O’Féich et al . 2019).…”

Beyond the moment: Influence of a co‐facilitated education intervention on practitioners’ recovery beliefs and practices

“…2015) and the evidence internationally and within Ireland that suggests family members are often excluded in the care and decision‐making process (Cleary et al . 2014; Hungerford & Richardson 2013; O’Feich et al . 2019; Wyder & Bland 2014), findings in relation to the development and adoption of more inclusive approaches towards families outside the intervention context are heartening.…”