Mothers alone and supporting chronically mentally ill adult children: a greater vulnerability to illness

Increasingly, state hospitals are discharging large numbers of patients to their families and a significant number of these patients are severely mentally ill. The burden upon mothers who live alone and have to care for chronically mentally ill adult children is the focus of this paper. The author explores this phenomenon through the use of a qualitative research methodology to better capture the problems and struggles in these caretaking arrangements. Increased stress is found to contribute to a greater vulnerability to illness for the mother. Interventions are suggested which would reduce this burden and contribute towards a more healthy environment for the mother.