scholarly journals Psychosocial Impacts on Families of Patients with Mental Illness: A Systematic Literature Review

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr. M. Senthil

Background: Family members play a major role in providing care giving assistance to patients with mentally illness and while providing care they may experience considerable amount of distress and may have a poor quality of life, if they are unable to cope with the stress associated with the process of caregiving. The effect of stressors on family members caring for a patient with mentally illness in the family has been referred to as caregiver’s burden. Caregiver burden in mental illness can either be objective or subjective. Numerous studies have demonstrated that family caregivers of persons with a mental illness suffer from significant stresses, experience high levels of burden, and often receive inadequate assistance from mental health professionals. So this study was carried out to review the literature and to describe the psychosocial issues facing by family members of patients with mental illness. Method: An electronic search of articles from Google was conducted for articles published. The purpose of this article was to present a review of the literature related to families of persons with mental illness. There is general agreement in the literature that a multitude of psychosocial variables affect families of persons with mental illness. Therefore, this literature review examined the most frequently investigated variables such as family burden, stigma, stereotypes and prejudices, quality of Life, disability and dysfunction in family life and psychological distress as they are related to families and mental illness. Results: A systematization of information revealed the existence of significant stresses, experience high levels of burden, stigma, poor quality of life and various psychological strains while providing care to their ill relatives. Conclusions: The findings of this study urges the mental health care professionals to actively work with the caregivers of patients with psychiatric illness to decide suitable psychosocial intervention strategies to address their burden associated with mental illness, to improve their quality of life and enhance their coping skills which will in turn provide good quality of care to their mentally ill patients.

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 451-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. F. Chung ◽  
M. C. Wong

Aims and MethodThe study was intended to rectify the lack of data on how Chinese people experience the stigma of mental illness. A questionnaire on perceived stigmatisation, experiences of rejection and ways of coping with stigma was completed by 193 persons attending a psychiatric out-patient clinic in Hong Kong.ResultsMost of the participants were aware of the stigma associated with mental illness, but experiences of rejection were relatively less frequent. Eleven per cent of the respondents indicated that they were neglected by health care professionals and 8% had been avoided by family members. The most frequently reported coping method was maintaining secrecy about the illness.Clinical ImplicationsIn China, people with mental health problems experience stigma in various degrees. However, some of the people surveyed expressed feelings of relief that others were supportive and sympathetic towards their illness. Mental health professionals should maintain optimism in helping their patients to cope with the stigma.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii440-iii440
Author(s):  
Kathy Riley

Abstract In the United States, more than 28,000 children and teenagers live with the diagnosis of a primary brain tumor (Porter, McCarthy, Freels, Kim, & Davis, 2010). In 2017, an estimated 4,820 new cases of childhood primary brain and other central nervous system tumors were expected to be diagnosed in children ages 0 – 19 in the United States (Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States, 2017). Survivors suffer from lifelong side effects caused by their illness or by various treatments. Commonly identified late effects of treatment include a decline in intellectual functioning and processing speed, performance IQ deficits, memory deficits, psychological difficulties, deficits in adaptive functioning (daily life skills), and an overall decrease in health-related quality of life (Castellino, Ullrich, Whelen, & Lange, 2014). To address the ongoing challenges these survivors and their families face, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) met extensively with working groups comprised of survivors and caregivers to develop the outline for a comprehensive Survivorship Resource Guidebook. In 2019, the PBTF published the guidebook which categorizes survivor and caregiver needs into three primary areas: physical and mental health, quality of life, and working the system. Expert authors included survivors and caregivers themselves in addition to medical and mental health professionals. Key outcomes discovered during the creation and production of this resource highlight how caregivers, survivors and professionals can collaborate to provide needed information and practical help to one segment of the pediatric cancer population who experience profound morbidities as a result of their diagnosis and treatment.


2022 ◽  
pp. 135910452110618
Author(s):  
Konstantina Vasilopoulou ◽  
Angeliki Skoutari ◽  
Konstantinos Siomos ◽  
Nikolaos Christodoulou

Background: The diagnosis of a childhood malignancy and the following period are very stressful for the little patient and the whole family. Depression, anxiety, and poor quality of life (QoL) are some of the negative effects of pediatric cancer to the children and their parents. Family therapeutic interventions aim to improve mental health and QoL of these children. Methods: A systematic search of the electronic database PubMed was conducted for articles that studied the effect of family therapeutic interventions on mental health and QoL of children with cancer. Results: A total of 634 articles were evaluated, of which 10 articles met the inclusion criteria. A percentage of 70% of the studies, representing seven different types of interventions, seemed to be beneficial for the participant’s mental health and QoL. The remaining three studies did not significantly improve mental health and QoL. Conclusion: The results of our review indicate that family psychosocial interventions are beneficial for children with cancer. These children and their families are a growing population requiring more patient-centered, time flexible interventions which may enhance family bonding and patients’ positive emotions.


Author(s):  
Megan M. Kelly ◽  
Katharine A. Phillips

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common and unusually severe mental illness, characterized by distressing or impairing preoccupations with non-existent or slight defects in one’s physical appearance, as well as compulsive behaviours, that aim to examine, improve, hide, or obtain reassurance about the perceived defects. BDD is associated with poor quality of life and marked functional impairment, as well as high rates of suicidal ideation and behaviours. Although BDD is often under-recognized in clinical settings, both pharmacotherapy and psychosocial interventions are effective at reducing BDD symptoms and distress. This chapter presents information on the phenomenology, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, epidemiology, pathogenesis, course, and treatment of BDD.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (12) ◽  
pp. 1101-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter C. Lam ◽  
Dolly A. John ◽  
Hanga Galfalvy ◽  
Carol Kunzel ◽  
Roberto Lewis-Fernández

2003 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 552-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael King ◽  
Eamonn McKeown ◽  
James Warner ◽  
Angus Ramsay ◽  
Katherine Johnson ◽  
...  

BackgroundLittle is known about the mental health of gay men and lesbians living in Europe.AimsTo compare psychological status, quality of life and use of mental health services by lesbians and gay men with heterosexual people.MethodCross-sectional study in England and Wales using ‘snowball’ sampling.ResultsParticipants: 656 gay men, 505 heterosexual men, 430 lesbians and 588 heterosexual women. Gay men were more likely than heterosexual men to score above threshold on the Clinical Interview Schedule, indicating greater levels of psychological distress (RR 1.24, 95% Cl 1.07–1.43), as were lesbians compared with heterosexual women (RR 1.30, 95% Cl 1.11-1.52). Gay men and lesbians were more likely than heterosexuals to have consulted a mental health professional in the past, deliberately harmed themselves and used recreational drugs. Lesbians were more likely to have experienced verbal and physical intimidation and to consume more alcohol than heterosexual women.ConclusionsAwareness of mental health issues for gay men and lesbians should become a standard part of training for mental health professionals, who need to be aware of the potential for substance misuse and self-harm in this group and of the discrimination experienced by many lesbians.


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1655-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANTONIO LASALVIA ◽  
CHIARA BONETTO ◽  
FRANCESCA MALCHIODI ◽  
GIOVANNI SALVI ◽  
ALBERTO PARABIAGHI ◽  
...  

Background. Subjective quality of life has gained a crucial role as a global measure of outcome in mental health care. This study aimed to investigate the impact of meeting needs for care, as assessed by both patients and mental health professionals, to improve the subjective quality of life in a sample of patients receiving community-based psychiatric care.Method. The study was conducted using a 4-year prospective longitudinal design. A cohort of patients from the South-Verona Community-based Mental Health Service (CMHS) was assessed at baseline and follow-up using, among other social and clinical measures, the Camberwell Assessment of Need (both staff and patient versions) and the Lancashire Quality of Life Profile. Predictors of changes of subjective quality of life were explored using block-stratified multiple regression procedures.Results. Improvement in patients' clinical conditions as well as the reduction in patient-rated unmet needs in the social domain predicted an increase in subjective quality of life over 4 years; changes in staff-rated needs did not show any association with changes in subjective quality of life.Conclusions. Meeting self-perceived social needs, beyond symptoms reduction, seems to be of particular importance for ensuring a better quality of life for people with mental disorders. If the main goal of mental health care is to improve the quality of life of users, a policy of actively addressing patient-rated needs should be implemented.


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