'What Was Going to Happen to Us?' Understanding the Need of Family Members After A First Episode Psychosis: A...

Being diagnosed with first episode psychosis (FEP) can be a crisis for both individuals and family members in the early years. In this process, family life and interpersonal relationships may deteriorate, and stigmatisation may be observed. Learning about the feelings, experiences, and needs of families after the diagnosis of FEP will help in coping with the disease and in predicting its prognosis.

This study aimed to determine the experiences and needs of family members after a diagnosis of FEP.

This qualitative study was conducted with first-degree relatives of individuals diagnosed with FEP who the psychiatry outpatient clinic of a hospital in Turkey followed up. The sample of the study consisted of 17 participants. A semi-structured interview form was used to collect the data. N-Vivo12 program with thematic analysis method was used for data analysis and COREQ checklist was used for reporting.

It was found that 64.7% of the participants were in the role of mother, 64.7% were primary school/middle school graduates, and 29.4% had quit their jobs due to their caregiving role. As a result of the interviews, 4 main themes and 13 sub-themes were identified. The main themes are as follows: not knowing/not realising, mixed feelings, changing lives and need for help.

Interventions are needed to increase community mental health literacy and reduce stigmatising attitudes. Mental health professionals should be aware that cultural beliefs and spiritual values are effective in community mental health and should raise awareness of evidence-based treatments in the community.

These findings will raise awareness for mental health professionals that they should not overlook the family while providing health services to individuals diagnosed with FEP. In addition, psychiatric nurses can use the findings to create training and support programmes for families.