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What do relatives experience when supporting someone in early psychosis?
Laura D Wainwright1, David Glentworth, Gillian Haddock
1The Spectrum Centre for Mental Health Research, University of Lancaster, UK.
Psychology and Psychotherapy
|March 14, 2014
Summary
Relatives supporting individuals with early psychosis often feel unsupported by mental health services. Improving communication, information access, and involving relatives as care partners is crucial for better support in the UK.
Area of Science:
- Mental Health Research
- Psychosis Care
- Family Support Services
Background:
- Despite UK government priorities, relatives of individuals with psychosis report inadequate support from mental health services.
- Potential reasons include funding limitations, high professional caseloads, and a lack of understanding of relatives' experiences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences of relatives supporting a family member experiencing early psychosis.
- To identify key challenges and needs faced by these relatives.
Main Methods:
- Thematic analysis was employed for an in-depth examination of relatives' experiences.
- Four focus groups, each with 5-7 participants, were conducted with relatives recruited via Early Intervention Teams and carer support agencies.
Main Results:
- Four major themes emerged: 'Psychosis from the relatives' perspective,' 'Relatives' fight with the mental health system,' 'Is anybody listening? Does anyone understand?,' and 'Relatives' coping.'
- These themes highlight relatives' understanding, management strategies, and emotional responses to supporting a family member with psychosis.
Conclusions:
- Mental health services in the UK need to improve support for relatives by providing clearer guidance on confidentiality and treating relatives as partners in care.
- Enhancing information dissemination about psychosis and service protocols, alongside staff training on managing relatives' distress, is recommended.
- Specialist Early Intervention Services demonstrate more positive experiences for relatives compared to other health service teams.
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